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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

Microsoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/alleghenyepisodeOOshoeiala 


INDEX 

Page 

Foreword    3 

Introduction    5 

Tulliallan    9 

At  His  Bedside 31 

The  Prostrate  Juniper 40 

Out  of  the  Ashes 51 

v  Wayside  Destiny    64 

The   Holly   Tree 77 

The  Second  Run  of  the  Sap 96 

Black  Chief's  Daughter 108 

The   Gorilla    122 

The  Indian's  Twilight 135 

Hugh  Gibson's  Captivity 147 

Girty's  Notch    161 

Poplar  George   175 

Black   Alice   Dunbar 186 

Abram  Antoine,  Bad  Indian 199 

Do  You  Believe  in  Ghosts? 219 

A   Stone's  Throw 234 

The  Turning  of  the  Belt 247 

Riding  His   Pony 265 

The    Little    Postmistress 271 

The    Silent    Friend 290 

The  Fountain  of  Youth 298 

Compensations    310 

A    Misunderstanding 326 

A  Haunted  House    339 


Allegheny  Episodes 

Folk  Lore  and  Legends  Collected  in 
Northern  and  Western  Pennsylvania 

By  HENRY  W.  SHOEMAKER 

Volume  XI    Pennsylvania  Folk  Lore  Series 


iSSt 


r^r.~.i>.  ■■-, V-....     frC^KA* 


~*&^ 


■m 


"The  country  east  of  the  Mississippi  was  inhabited  by  a  very 
powerful  nation.  *  *  *  Those  people  called  themselves  Alli- 
gewi.  *  *  *  The  Allegheny  River  and  Mountains  have  been 
named  after  them.  *  *  *  The  Lenni-Lenape  still  call  the 
river  Alligewi  Sipu,  the  river  of  the  Alligewi,  but  it  is  generally 
known  by  its  Iroquois  name — Olie-Yu — which  the  French  had  lit- 
erally translated  into  La  Belle  Riviere,  The  Beautiful  River, 
though  a  branch  of  it  retains  the  ancient  name  Allegheny." 

— John   Heckewelder. 


ALTOOXA,    PENNSYLVANIA 

Published   by  the  A'.toona    Tribune  Company 

1922 

Copyright:     All    Rights    Reserved. 


F/50 


Foreword 

THE  author  tells  me   that   I   was  his  discoverer, 
and  that  without  a  discoverer  we  cannot  do  any- 
thing.    Very  true;    one  American  author  had  to 
write  till  he  was  forty-eight,  and  then  be  discovered  in 
Japan.     Henry  W.  Shoemaker  was  discovered  nearer 
home,  and  by  a  humbler  scholar. 

In  my  last  foreword  I  emphasized  the  value  of 
folk-lore.  Its  significance  grows  upon  me  with  age. 
I  have  now  come  to  regard  it  as  a  kind  of  appendix 
to  Scripture.  Outside  of  mere  magic,  an  abuse  of 
correspondences,  as  Swedenborg  calls  it,  there  is  in 
folk-lore  a  digest  of  the  spiritual  insight  of  the  plain 
people.  It  also  contains  actual  facts  boiled  to  rags. 
For  instance,  in  1919  the  dying  Horace  Traubel  saw 
in  vision  his  life-long  idol,  Walt  Whitman,  and  the 
apparition  was  also  seen  by  Colonel  Cosgrave,  who  felt 
a  shock  when  it  touched  him. 

The  flimsy  modern  paper  whereon  the  scientific 
cccount  of  this  is  printed  will  soon  perish,  and  then 
there  will  be  nothing  left  but  loose  literary  references 
and  memories  to  witness  that  it  happened.  Any  skeptic 
can  challenge  these,  and  the  apparition  will  become 
folk-lore.  As  it  is  in  its  scientific  setting  in  the  Journal 
of  the  American  Society  for  Psychical  Research  for 
1921,  it  is  a  side  light  on  the  Transfiguration.  For 
if  Whitman  appeared  to  Traubel  in  1919,  and  Sweden- 
borg appeared  to  Andrew  Jackson  Davis  in  1844,  why 
should  not  the  great  predecessors  of  Christ  appear  also 
to  him? 


726988 


Such  is  the  value  of  folk-lore,  and  for  this  reason 
the  Armenian  Church  did  well  to  attach  an  appendix  of 
apocrypha  to  the  Holy  Gospel.  In  such  a  document  as 
the  uncanonical  Gospel  of  "Peter"  (this  was  not  one 
of  the.  Armenian  selections,  but  it  ought  to  have  been, 
in  spite  of  the  fact  that  the  Mother  Church  of  Syria 
had  suppressed  it)  the  life  of  Christ  is  seen  in  a  dis- 
solving view,  blending  with  the  folk-lore  of  the  time; 
and  let  us  hope  that  some  day  this  valuable  piece  of 
ancient  thought  will  be  printed  with  the  New  Testa- 
ment instead  of  some  of  the  unimportant  matter  that 
top  often  accompanies  it. 

Albert  J.  Edmunds. 

The  Historical  Society  of  Pennsylvania, 

Philadelphia,  March  1,  1921. 


Introduction 

IT  is  a  good  thing  to  make  resolves,  but  a  better 
thing,  once  having  made  them,  to  keep  them.  On 
two  previous  occasions  the  compiler  of  the  present 
volume  has  stated  his  resolve  in  prefaces  to  issue  no 
no  more  books  of  the  kind,  but  has  gone  ahead  and 
prepared  more.  Probably  the  motive  that  brought  into 
existence  the  first  volume  can  be  urged  in  extenuation 
for  the  eleventh,  namely,  the  desire  to  preserve  the 
folk-lore  of  the  Pennsylvania  Mountains. 

The  contents  of  the  present  volume,  like  its  prede- 
cessors, were  gathered  orally  from  old  people  and 
others,  and  written  down  as  closely  as  possible  to  the 
verbal  accounts.  In  order  to  escape  ill  feeling,  as  in 
the  case  with  the  earlier  volumes,  some  names  of  per- 
sons and  places,  and  dates  have  been  changed.  This 
has  been  done  with  the  greatest  reluctance,  and  only 
where  absolutely  necessary.  The  characters  are  real 
persons,  and  most  of  them  appear  under  their  rightful 
names.  Many  of  the  legends  or  incidents  run  counter 
to  the  accepted  course  of  history,  but  tradition  is  pre- 
served for  what  it  is  worth,  and  the  reader  can  draw 
his  own  conclusions.  While  some  of  these  tales  end 
unhappily,  the  proportion  is  not  greater  than  in  life 
as  we  know  it.  and  the  general  ascendency  of  right 
over  wrong  shines  through  the  gloomiest  passages. 
Life  could  not  exist,  or  the  world  go  on,  unless  the 
majority  of  events  ended  fortuitously;  it  is  that  happy 
preponderance  which  makes  "hope  spring  eternal,"  and 


is  so  often  rewarded  by  a  realization  of  the  heart's 
desire. 

The  various  phases  of  the  supernatural  in  the 
ensuing  pages  depicts  probably  a  more  normal  condi- 
tion of  our  relationship  with  the  unseen  world  than  the 
crude  and  clumsy  mediumship  found  in  the  big  cities, 
and  may  present  a  rational  explanation  of  life  "behind 
the  dark  curtain." 

There  is  certainly  a  spiritual  life,  and  a  purely 
spiritual  God,  and  all  the  events  of  the  soul  are  regu- 
lated by  divine  laws,  which  have  only  too  frequently 
been  confused  with  the  physical  life  so  subject  to 
chance  and  reversion  back  to  chaos. 

The  origins  of  Pennsylvania  folk-lore  seem  to  the 
writer  like  a  happy  blending  of  Indian  and  European 
elements  which  would  have  gradually,  had  backwoods 
conditions  continued,  developed  into  a  definitely  Penn- 
sylvanian  mythology.  The  fact  that  the  writer  had  so 
many  more  legends  in  form  of  notes,  which  otherwise 
would  have  been  mislaid  and  come  to  nothing,  prompted 
him  to  break  his  resolve  and  prepare  the  present  vol- 
ume. And,  for  good  or  ill,  he  has  many  more,  dealing 
with  other  parts  of  the  State.  What  shall  be  their 
fate?  Are  they  worthy  of  perpetuation  as  folk-lore? 
Apart  from  the  general  idea  of  preserving  legendary 
matter  for  future  generations,  there  is  the  added  reason 
that  the  heroic  lines  of  some  of  the  characters  appealed 
to  him,  and,  to  save  them  from  the  oblivion  of  the 
"forgotten  millions,"  their  careers  have  been  herein 
recorded. 

Probably  one-half  of  the  stories  were  told  to  the 
compiler  by  one  lady — Mrs.  W.  J.  Phillips,  of  Clinton 
County — who  spent  some  of  her  girlhood  days,  many 


years  ago,  on  the  Indian  Reservations  in  Pennsylvania 
and  southwestern  New  York. 

Professor  J.  S.  Illick,  Chief  of  the  Bureau  of 
Research  of  the  Pennsylvania  Department  of  For- 
estry, is  due  thanks  for  securing  many  of  the  illustra- 
tions. Four  of  the  chapters — Nos.  IX,  XV,  XXI. 
XXII — are  reprinted  from  the  compiler's  historical 
brochure,  "Penn's  Grandest  Cavern,"  and  the  first 
chapter,  "Tulliallan,"  was  published  in  the  "Sunbury 
Daily" ;  otherwise  none  of  the  chapters  of  this  book 
have  hitherto  appeared  in  print. 

Persons  interested  in  more  intimate  details  con- 
cerning the  origins  and  characters  of  the  various  tales 
will  be  cheerfully  accommodated  "for  private  circu- 
'ation  only."  Like  James  Macpherson  of  "Ossian," 
it  can  be  said  "the  sources  of  information  are  open 
to  all." 

The  compiler  hopes  that  through  this  book  a  more 
general  interest  in  the  Pennsylvania  folk-lore  can  be 
created ;  its  predecessors  have  missed  achieving  this, 
but  there  is  always  that  hope  springing  afresh  to  "God- 
speed" the  newest  volume.  No  pretense  at  style  of 
literary  workmanship  is  claimed,  and  the  stories  should 
be  read,  not  as  romances  or  short  stories,  but  as  a 
b> -product  of  history — the  folk-lore,  the  heart  of  the 
Pennsylvania  mountain  people.  With  this  constantly 
borne  in  mind,  a  better  understanding  and  apprecia- 
tion of  the  meanings  of  the  book  may  be  arrived  at 

The  kindly  reception  accorded  to  the  previous  vol- 
umes, and  also  to  "North  Pennsylvania  Minstrelsy" 
b>  the  press  and  by  a  small  circle  of  interested  readers, 
if  equalled  by  the  present  volume  will  satisfy  the  com- 


piler,  if  his  ambitions  for  a  wider  field  of  usefulness 
are  not  to  be  realized. 

To  those  of  press  and  public  who  have  read  and 
commented  on  the  earlier  volumes  go  the  compiler's 
gratitude,  and  to  them  he  commends  this  book,  the 
tales  of  which  have  had  their  origins  mostly  along 
the  main  chain  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains  and  on 
the  western  watershed.  Sincere  thanks  are  due 
to  Miss  Mary  E.  Morrow,  whose  intelligence  and 
patience  in  transcribing  the  manuscripts  of  this  and 
the  majority  of  the  earlier  volumes  of  the  series  has 
had  much  to  do  with  whatever  recognition  they  may 
have  achieved,  and  a  pleasant  memory  to  the  author, 
as  well. 

Henry  W.   Shoemaker. 
Department  of   Forestry, 
State  Capitol,  Harrisburg, 
February  23,  1922. 

P.  S. — Thanks  are  also  due  to  Mrs.  E.  Horace 
Quinn,  late  of  Bucknell  University,  for  her  kindness 
in  revising  the  proofs.  9-5-22. 


Tulliallan 

^\  THY,  yes,  you  may  accompany  your  Uncle 
\w  Thomas  and  myself  to  select  the  plate  which 
we  plan  to  present  to  the  battleship  of  the 
line,  'The  Admiral  Penn,'  which  the  First  Lord,  His 
Grace,  Duke  of  Bedford,  has  graciously  named  in 
honor  of  your  distinguished  grandsire,"  said  Richard 
Penn,  pompously,  answering  a  query  addressed  to  him 
by  his  young  son,  John. 

The  youth,  who  was  about  eighteen  years  of  age 
and  small  and  slight,  seemed  delighted,  and  waited 
impatiently  with  his  father  for  Uncle  Thomas'  arrival. 
Soon  a  liveried  footman  announced  the  arrival  of 
Thomas  Penn,  and  the  brothers,  after  embracing, 
started  from  the  imposing  mansion  in  New  Street, 
Spring  Gardens  (near  the  Admiralty  Arch),  accom- 
panied by  the  younger  scion  and  a  retinue  of  secre- 
taries, retainers  and  footmen. 

It  so  happened  that  the  leading  silversmith  in 
the  city,  James  Cox,  was  of  the  Quaker  faith,  to  which 
William  Penn,  the  famous  founder  of  Pennsylvania, 
and  father  of  Richard  an  1  Thomas,  belonged,  and  was 
particularly  pleased  to  be  the  recipient  of  this  costly 
and  important  order.  It  was  an  occasion  of  such  im- 
portance to  him  that  his  wife,  sons  and  daughter  had 
come  to  his  place  of  business  to  witness  the  transaction 
and,  perhaps,  meet  the  aristocratic  customers. 

9 


10  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

As  they  entered  the  establishment,  the  tradesman 
himself  opened  the  door,  bowing  low  as  the  two  portly 
gentlemen,  with  their  plum-colored  coats,  snuff  boxes 
and  walking  sticks,  entered  arm  in  arm,  followed  by 
the  diminutive  John,  in  a  long,  red  coat,  while  the 
minions  of  various  degrees  waited  outside,  clustered 
about  the  gilded  chairs. 

It  must  be  understood  that  these  sons  of  William 
Penn  were  not  members  of  the  Society  of  Friends,  but 
had  assumed  the  faith  of  their  grandfather,  the  Ad- 
miral, and  founder  of  the  family  fortunes,  and  young 
John  was  nominally  a  member  of  the  same   faith. 

The  portly  and  self-important  gentlemen  were 
soon  absorbed  in  studying  the  various  designs  of  silver 
services,  while  the  restless  and  half-interested  gaze 
of  young  John  wandered  about  the  salesroom.  It  was 
not  long  in  falling  on  the  slender,  demure  form  of 
Maria  Cox,  the  silversmith's  only  daughter.  Clad  in 
her  Quaker  garb  and  bonnet,  she  was  certainly  a 
picture  of  loveliness,  almost  seventeen  years  old,  with 
deep  blue  eyes,  dark  brows  and  lashes,  fair  com- 
plexion, with  features  exaggerately  clearcut,  made  John 
Penn's  senses  reel  in  a  delirium  of  enthusiasm. 

Ordinarily  he  would  have  become  impatient  at 
the  delay  in  selecting  the  silver  service,  for  the  older 
gentlemen  were  slow  of  decision  and  he  was  a  spoiled 
child,  but  this  time  he  was  lost  in  admiration  and  he 
cared  not  if  they  remained  in  the  shop  for  the  balance 
of  the  day.  John  Penn,  himself,  for  a  small  lad  was 
not  unprepossessing;    his  hair  was  golden,   his   eyes 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  11 

expressive  and  blue,  his  complexion  like  a  Dresden 
china  doll's,  his  form  erect  and  very  slim,  yet  few 
girls  had  fancied  him,  for  he  was  selfish  and  not 
inclined  to  talk. 

Seeing  that  he  was  not  assisting  his  elders  in 
selecting  the  silverware,  Mrs.  Cox,  the  wife,  and  a 
woman  of  some  tact  and  breeding,  introduced  conver- 
sation with  the  young  man,  eventually  drawing  her 
daughter  into  it,  and  it  was  a  case  of  love  quickly  on 
both  sides. 

When,  after  four  hours  of  selecting  and  changing 
and  selecting  again,  the  Penns  finally  accepted  a  design 
and  placed  their  order,  John  had  arranged  that  he 
was  to  dine  with  the  Cox  family  and  see  the  young 
beauty  frequently.  All  went  well  until  the  day  ap- 
pointed for  the  visit  to  the  home  of  the  silversmith. 
John  Penn  presented  himself  before  his  father  attired 
in  his  best  red  velvet  coat  with  gold  facings,  white  satin 
knee  breeches,  pumps  with  diamond  buckles,  his  face 
much  powdered,  and  sporting  a  pearl  inlaid  sword. 
The  elder  Penn  demanded  to  know  the  cause  of  the 
youth's  magnificence,  for  ordinarily  his  Quaker  blood 
showed  itself  in  a  distaste  for  fancy  apparel. 

"To  dine  with  Mr.  and  Mrs.  James  Cox  and  their 
charming  daughter,  whom  I  much  admire,"  was  the 
calm  rejoinder. 

"What,  what,"  fairly  shouted  the  father,  almost 
having  an  apoplectic  attack  on  the  spot;  "dining  with 
common  tradespeople !  You  must  be  in  a  frenzy,  son ; 
we'll  have  you  in  Bedlam." 


12  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"I  don't  see  why  you  talk  that  way,  father,"  said 
John,  retaining  his  composure.  "Are  we  so  very  dif- 
ferent? It  was  only  a  few  generations  back  when  the 
Penns  were  plain  rural  yeomen,  and  Madame  van  der 
Schoulen,  or  Grandmother  Penn,  your  own  mother, 
was  she  not  the  daughter  of  a  Dutch  tradesman?" 

"Don't  speak  that  way.  lad;  the  servants  may 
hear,  and  lose  respect,"  said  the  father. 

The  lad  had  touched  a  sore  subject,  and  he  pre- 
ferred to  let  him  keep  his  engagement  rather  than 
to  have  an  expose  on  the  subject  of  ancestry. 

The  dinner  and  visit  were  followed  by  others,  but 
ai  home  John's  romance  did  not  run  smoothly,  and 
^e  quickly  realized  that  his  father  and  Uncle  Thomas, 
whose  heir  he  was  to  be,  would  never  consent  to  his 
marriage  with  the  daughter  of  a  silversmith.  Conse- 
quently, a  trip  to  Gretna  Green  was  executed,  and 
John  Penn,  aged  nineteen,  and  Maria  Cox,  seventeen, 
were  duly  made  man  and  wife. 

When  Richard  Penn  and  his  brother  Thomas  were 
apprised  of  what  he  had  done  they  locked  him  in  his 
room,  and  after  night  got  him  to  the  waterfront  and 
on  a  ship  bound  for  the  French  coast.  He  was  carried 
to  Paris  and  there  carefully  watched,  but  meanwhile 
supplied  with  money,  all  that  he  could  spend.  Tem- 
porarily he  forgot  all  about  Maria  Cox,  plunging  into 
the  gaieties  of  the  French  Capital,  gambling  and  betting 
on  horse  races,  the  "sport  of  kings"  having  been  only 
recently  introduced  in  France,  until  he  was  deeply  in 
debt.     He  became  verv  ill.  and  was  taken  to  Geneva 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  13 

to  recuperate.  There  he  was  followed  by  representa- 
tives of  his  creditors,  who  threatened  to  have  him 
jailed  for  debt — a  familiar  topic  in  family  talk  to  him, 
for  his  grandfather,  William  Penn,  despite  his  owner- 
ship of  Pennsylvania,  had  been  arrested  for  debt 
many  times,  and  was  out  on  bail  on  a  charge  of  non- 
payment of  loans  made  from  his  steward  at  the  time 
of  his  death. 

John  wrote  frantically  to  his  father  in  London, 
who  turned  a  deaf  ear  to  the  prodigal;  not  so  Uncle 
Thomas.  He  replied  that  he  would  save  the  boy  from 
iail  and  pay  his  debts,  provided  he  would  divorce  his 
wife  and  go  to  Pennsylvania  for.  an  indefinite  period. 
John  was  ready  to  promise  anything;  a  representative 
of  the  Penn's  financial  interests  settled  all  the  claims 
in  and  out  of  Paris,  and  John  Penn  was  free. 

While  waiting  at  Lille  for  a  ship  to  take  him  from 
Rotterdam  to  Philadelphia,  the  young  man  was  advised 
to  come  to  London  for  a  day  to  say  good-bye  to  his 
relatives.  The  packet  was  expected  in  the  Thames 
on  a  certain  day,  but  got  into  a  terrific  storm  and  was 
tossed  about  the  North  Sea  and  the  Channel  for  a 
week,  and  no  one  was  at  the  dock  to  meet  the  dilapi- 
dated youth  on  his  arrival  at  Fleet  Street. 

As  he  passed  up  the  streets  in  Cheapside,  to  his 
surprise  he  ran  into  the  fair  figure  of  his  bride,  the 
deserted  Maria  Cox-Penn.  He  was  again  very  much 
in  love,  and  she  ready  to  forgive.  They  spent  the 
balance  of  the  day  together,  enjoying  a  fish  ordinary 
at  a  noted  restaurant  in  Bird-in-Hand  Court.     Over 


14  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  meal  it  was  arranged  that  Maria  should  follow 
her  husband  to  America;  meanwhile,  he  would  provide 
a  home  for  her  over  there  under  an  assumed  name, 
until  he  became  of  age,  when  he  would  defy  his  family 
to  again  tear  them  asunder. 

None  of  John  Penn's  family  had  the  slightest 
suspicion  of  anything  out  of  the  usual  when  he 
presented  himself  in  their  midst,  and  he  returned 
quietly  to  Lille,  where  he  remained  until  the  ship  was 
announced  as  ready  to  take  him  to  America.  He  ar- 
rived in  New  York  during  a  terrible  tornado,  in  No- 
vember, 1752.  At  Philadelphia  he  evinced  little  in- 
terest in  anything  except  to  take  a  trip  into  the  interior. 
As  he  had  plenty  of  money,  he  could  accomplish  most 
anything  he  wanted,  and  was  not  watched.  On  his 
way  to  the  Susquehanna  country  he  traveled  with  an 
armed  bodyguard,  as  there  were  even  then  renegade 
Indians  and  road  agents  abroad.  A  number  of  less 
distinguished  travelers  and  their  servants  were,  for 
safety's  sake,  allowed  to  accompany  the  party.  Among 
them  was  a  man  of  fifty-five,  named  Peter  Allen,  to 
whom  young  John  took  a  violent  fancy. 

It  was  not  unusual,  for  Peter  Allen  was  what  the 
Indians  recognized  as  a  gentleman,  although  he  was 
only  a  cadet,  or  what  we  would  call  nowadays  a  "poor 
relation"  of  the  proud  Allen  family,  the  head  of  which 
was  William  Allen,  Chief  Justice  of  the  Province,  a 
man  about  Peter  Allen's  age,  and  for  whom  North- 
ampton or  Allensville,  now  Allentown,  was  named. 

Peter  Allen  had  built  a  stone  house  or  trading 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  15 

post,  which  he  called  "Tulliallan"  after  one  of  the 
ancestral  homes  of  the  Allen  family  in  Scotland,  on 
the  very  outpost  of  civilization,  twenty  miles  west  of 
Harris'  Ferry,  where  all  manner  of  traders,  hunters, 
missionaries,  explorers  and  sometimes  Indians  con- 
gregated, where  balls  were  held  with  Indian  princesses 
as  guests  of  honor,  and  the  description  of  this  place 
fired  John  Penn's  fancy. 

The  idea  had  flashed  through  his  mind  that  Maria 
could  harbor  there  unknown  until  he  became  of  age, 
and  some  day,  despite  the  silly  family  opposition,  she 
would  become  the  Governor's  Lady.  John  Penn  went 
to  Peter  Allen's,  and  not  only  found  a  refuge  for 
his  bride,  but  liked  the  frontier  life  so  well  that  it 
was  as  if  he  had  been  born  in  the  wilderness.  Moun- 
tains and  forests  appealed  to  him,  and  his  latent 
democracy  found  full  vent  among  the  diversified  types 
who  peopled  the  wilderness. 

Peter  Allen  had  three  young  daughters,  Barbara, 
Nancy  and  Jessie,  whom  he  wished  schooled,  and  John 
Penn  arranged  that  Maria  should  teach  them  and,  per- 
haps, have  a  select  school  for  other  children  of  the 
better  sort  along  the  Susquehanna.  Peter  Allen  was 
secretly  peeved  at  his  family  for  not  recognizing  him 
more,  and  lent  himself  to  anything  that,  while  not 
dishonorable,  would  bend  the  proud  spirit  of  the  Pro- 
prietaries and  their  favorites,  one  of  whom  was  the 
aforementioned  "Cousin  Judge"  William  Allen. 

John  Penn  returned  to  Philadelphia,  from  where 
he  sent  a  special  messenger,  a  sort  of  valet,  to  London, 


16  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

who  met  and  safely  escorted  Maria  to  America.  She 
landed  at  Province  Island  on  the  Delaware,  remaining 
in  retirement  there  for  a  month,  until  John  could  slip 
away  and  escort  her  personally  to  Peter  Allen's. 

The  girl  was  bright,  well-educated  and  sensible, 
and  found  the  new  life  to  her  liking,  and  her  young 
husband  loving  and  considerate. 

It  was  in  the  spring  of  1754  when  they  reached 
the  stone  house  at  the  foot  of  the  Fourth  or  Peter's 
Mountain,  and  during  the  ensuing  year  she  taught 
the  young  Allen  girls  and  three  other  well-bred  chil- 
dren, and  was  visited  frequently  by  her  husband.  She 
assumed  the  name  of  Mary  Warren,  her  mother's 
maiden  name,  which  proved  her  undoing.  All  went 
well  until  representatives  of  the  Penns  in  London 
learned  that  Maria  Cox-Penn  was  missing,  and  they 
traced  her  on  shipboard  through  the  name  "Mary 
Warren,"  eventually  locating  her  as  the  young  school- 
mistress at  "Tulliallan." 

The  next  part  of  this  story  is  a  hard  one  to 
write,  as  one  hates  to  make  accusations  against  dead 
and  gone  worthies  who  helped  to  found  our  beloved 
Pennsylvania;  but,  at  any  rate,  without  going  into 
whys  and  wherefores,  "Mary  Warren"  mysteriously 
disappeared.  Simultaneously  went  Joshua,  the  friendly 
Indian  who  lived  at  the  running  spring  on  the  top  of 
Peter's  Mountain,  and  Arvas,  or  "Silver  Heels,"  an- 
other Indian,  whose  cabin  was  on  the  slopes  of  Third 
(now  called  Short)    Mountain,  near  Clark's  Creek. 

It  was  in  the  early  summer  of  1755  when  John 


VIRGIN    WIIITK    PINKS,    WARRKN    C'Ol'NTV,    191S 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  17 

Penn,  accompanied  only  by  one  retainer,  John  Monk- 
ton,  a  white-bearded  veteran  of  Preston,  rode  out  of 
the  gateway  of  the  stockade  of  John  Harris'  trading 
post,  bound  for  Peter  Allen's.  His  heart  was  glad 
and  his  spirits  elated  for,  moody  lad  that  he  was, 
he  dearly  loved  his  wife  and  her  influence  over  him 
was  good. 

On  the  very  top  of  the  Second  Mountain  he  drew 
rein,  and  in  the  clear  stillness  of  the  Sunday  morning 
listened  to  a  cheewink  poised  on  the  topmost  twig  of 
a  chestnut  sprout,  and  viewed  the  scenes  below  him. 
In  an  ample  clearing  at  the  foot  of  Fourth  Mountain 
he  could  see  Peter  Allen's  spacious  stone  mansion, 
where  his  love  was  probably  at  that  minute  instructing 
the  little  class  in  the  beauties  of  revealed  religion. 
They  would  soon  be  united,  and  he  was  so  wonderfully 
happy ! 

As  the  cool  morning  breeze  swayed  the  twig  on 
which  the  cheewink  perched,  it  sang  again  and  again, 
"Ho-ho-hee,  ho-ho-hee,  ho-ho-hee !"  in  a  high  key,  and 
with  such  an  ecstasy  of  joy  and  youth  that  all  the 
world  seemed  animated  with  its  gladness,  yet  Penn's 
Chought  as  he  rode  on  was,  "I  wonder  where  that  bird 
will  be  next  year ;  what  will  it  have  to  undergo  before 
it  can  feel  the  warmth  and  sunlight  of  another  spring?" 

He  hurried  his  horse  so  that  it  stumbled  many 
times  going  down  the  mountain,  and  splashed  the 
water  all  over  old  Monkton  in  his  anxiety  to  ford 
Clark's  Creek.  He  lathered  his  horse  forcing  him  to 
trot  up  the  steep  contrefort  which  leads  to  "Tulliallan," 


18  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

though  he  weighed  hardly  more  than  one  hundred  and 
twenty  pounds.  He  drew  rein  before  the  door ;  no  one 
rushed  out  to  greet  him,  even  the  dogs  were  still.  He 
made  his  escort  dismount  and  pound  the  heavy  brass 
knocker,  fashioned  in  the  form  of  an  Indian's  head. 
After  some  delay,  Peter  Allen  himself  appeared,  look- 
ing glum  and  deadly  pale. 

"What  is  wrong?"  cried  Perm  who  was  naturally 
as  intuitive  as  a  woman,  noting  his  altered  demeanor. 

"Can  I  tell  you,  sir,  in  the  presence  of  your  body- 
guard?" 

"Out,  out  with  it,  Allen,"  shouted  Penn,  "I  must 
know   nozv." 

"Mary  Warren  has  been  gone  a  fortnight,  we 
know  not  whither.  She  had  taken  the  Berryhill  chil- 
dren home  after  classes,  and  left  them  about  five  o'clock 
in  the  evening.  She  did  not  return,  and  we  have 
searched  everywhere.  Strange  to  relate,  George 
Smithgall.  the  young  serving  man  whom  you  left  here 
to  look  after  your  apartments,  and  who  accompanied 
Mary  from  London  is  gone  also;  draw  your  own  in- 
ferences." 

John  Penn's  fair  face  was  as  red  as  his  scarlet 
cloak.  Despite  Allen's  urging  he  would  not  dismount, 
but  turned  his  horse's  head  toward  the  river.  He  rode 
to  Queenaskawakee,  now  called  Clark's  Ferry,  where 
there  was  a  famous  fording,  and,  accompanied  by  his 
guard,  he  made  the  crossing  and  posted  for  the  Juniata 
country.  Near  Raystown  Branch  he  caught  up  with 
the  company  of  riflemen    and    scouts    organized    by 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  19 

"Black  Jack,"  the  Wild  Hunter  of  the  Juniata,  who 
was  waiting  for  General  Braddock's  arrival  to  enlist 
in  the  proposed  attack  on  Fort  Duquesne  at  Shan- 
nopin's  Town,  now  Pittsburg.  Black  Jack  was  no 
stranger  to  him,  having  often  met  him  at  social  gath- 
erings at  Peter  Allen's,  and  the  greeting  between  the 
two  men  was  very  friendly.  John  Penn  occupied  the 
same  cabin  as  the  Wild  Hunter,  and  he  told  him  his 
story. 

"It  is  not  news  to  me,"  said  Captain  Jack.  "I 
heard  it  before,  from  Smithgall.  He  went  through 
here  last  week  hunting  for  Mary." 

Despite  this  reassuring  information,  Penn  refused 
to  believe  anything  but  that  the  lovely  Quakeress  had 
proved  false  and  eloped  with  the  German-American 
serving  man.  Word  came  in  a  few  days  that  the 
vanguard  of  General  Braddock's  army  had  reached  the 
Loyalhanna,  and  were  encamped  there.  Captain  Jack, 
with  John  Penn  riding  at  his  side,  and  followed  by  his 
motley  crew  with  their  long  rifles — Germans,  Swiss, 
Frenchmen,  Dutchmen,  Indians,  half  breeds,  Negroes 
and  Spaniards — approached  the  luxurious  quarters  of 
General  Edward  Braddock,  late  of  the  Coldstream 
Guards.  The  portly  General,  his  breast  'blazing  with 
decorations,  wearing  his  red  coat,  was  seated  in  a 
carved  armchair  in  front  of  a  log  cabin  erected  for 
his  especial  use  by  his  pioneers,  who  preceded  him  on 
the  march.  A  Sergeant-Major  conveyed  the  news  of 
"The  Wild  Hunter's"  presence  to  the  General's  Aide, 
who  in  turn  carried  it  to  the  august  presence. 


20  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"I  cannot  speak  to  such  a  fellow,  let  alone  accept 
him  as  a  brother  officer,"  said  Braddock,  irritably. 
"Besides,  his  methods  of  fighting  are  contrary  to  all 
discipline,  and  I  want  no  Pennsylvania  troops.  Tell 
him  that  if  he  insists  I  will  make  him  top-sergeant, 
and  place  my  own  officers  over  his  company." 

Captain  Jack  was  half  angry,  half  amused,  when 
the  rebuff  was  handed  to  him  via  the  sergeant  major. 

"My  father  was  a  Spanish  gentleman  from  the 
Minisink,  and  my  mother  a  woman  of  tolerably  good 
Hessian  blood.  I  see  no  reason  for  such  rank  ex- 
rlusiveness." 

Quickly  turning  his  horse's  head,  the  sturdy  bor- 
derer ordered  his  troop  to  proceed  eastward. 

"Don't  act  too  rashly,  Captain,"  entreated  Penn. 
"General  Braddock  is  ignorant  of  this  country  and 
Indian  methods  of  warfare.  He  may  have  orders  not 
to  enlist  native  troops,  yet  without  your  aid  I  fear  for 
the  success  of  his  expedition.  Please  let  me  intercede 
with  him;  he  will  do  it  when  he  hears  that  I  am  your 
friend." 

"To  the  devil  with  him  and  his  kind,  the  swinish 
snob,"  growled  Captain  Jack,  while  his  black  eyes 
flashed  a  diabolical  hatred ;  his  Spanish  temper  was 
uncontrollable.  That  night,  when  Captain  Jack  and 
John  Penn  were  seated  at  their  camp  fire  at  Laurel 
Run,  a  messenger,  a  Major,  not  a  Sergeant  Major, 
from  General  Braddock  was  announced. 

Saluting,  the  officer  asked  to  be  allowed  to  speak 
with  John  Penn,  Esquire.     Penn  received  the  officer 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  21 

without  rising,  and  was  cooly  civil  throughout  the  inter- 
view, which  consisted  principally  of  reading  a  letter 
from  Braddock,  expressing  deep  regret  "that  he  had 
not  known  that  the  son  of  his  dear   friend,  Richard 

Penn,  had  been  with  Jack,"  and  offering  Penn 

the  captaincy  of  Black  Jack's  company  of  scouts, 
" Jack  to  be  First  Lieutenant." 

Naturally,  Captain  Jack  was  more  enraged  than 
ever,  but  he  said :  "Take  it,  John,  I'll  withdraw  and 
turn  my  men,  who,  you  know,  are  the  best  shots  in  the 
Province,  over  to  you.  They  would  go  through  hell 
for  you." 

"Never  fear,"  replied  Penn,  and,  turning  to  the 
Major,  he  said :  "Tell  General  Braddock,  with  my 
compliments,  that  I  decline  to  accept  a  commission 
which  he  has  no  authority  to  tender.  As  for  my  com- 
panion, Captain  Jack  (laying  emphasis  on  the  Captain) 
the  General  had  his  decision  earlier  in  the  day.  Good- 
night,   Major." 

Thus  terminated  the  "conference"  which  might 
have  changed  the  face  of  history.  As  the  result  of 
Braddock's  pride  and  folly,  his  defeat  and  death  are 
a  part  of  history,  known  by  every  Pennsylvanian. 

John  Penn  was  wretchedly  unhappy,  even  though 
Captain  Jack  tried  to  console  him,  when  he  shrewdly 
inferred  that  "Mary"  had  been  kidnapped  by  emissaries 
of  his  relatives,  and  had  not  eloped  with  a  vile  serving 
man.  His  heart  was  too  lacerated  to  remain  longer 
with  the  Wild  Hunter,  now  that  no  active  service  was 
to  be  experienced;  so,  accompanied  by  Monkton,  the 


22  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

veteran  of  Preston,  he  set  out  the  next  morning  for 
the  West  Branch  of  the  Susquehanna  to  the  unexplored 
countries. 

At  Waterford  Narrows  they  passed  the  body  of 
a  trader  recently  killed  and  scalped  by  Indians. 

"May  I  draw  one  of  his  teeth,  sir?"  said  the  old 
soldier,  "and  you  can  carry  it  in  your  pocket,  for  the 
old  people  say  'The  only  thing  that  can  break  the  en- 
chantment of  love  is  the  tooth  of  a  dead  man'." 

Penn  shook  his  head  and  rode  on.  For  a  con- 
siderable time  Penn  and  Old  Monkton  visited  with 
Dagonando  (Rock  Pine),  a  noted  Indian  Chief  in 
Brush  Valley  (Centre  County),  for  the  young  man, 
like  the  founder  of  Pennsylvania,  possessed  the  same 
irresistible  charm  over  the  redmen. 

Years  afterwards,  in  Philadelphia,  speaking  to 
General  Thomas  Mifflin,  Dagonando  stated  that  had  it 
not  been  for  his  unhappy  love  affairs,  John  Penn 
v:ould  have  been  the  equal  of  his  grandfather  as  Gov- 
ernor, and  prevented  the  Revolutionary  War.  But  his 
spirit  was  crushed ;  even  a  mild  love  affair  with  Dago- 
nando's  daughter  ended  with  shocking  disaster.  Reach- 
ing Fort  Augusta,  Penn  became  very  ill;  a  "nervous 
breakdown"  his  ailment  would  be  diagnosed  today. 
During  his  illness  he  was  robbed  of  his  diary.  He 
reached  Philadelphia  in  the  fall,  and  almost  imme- 
diately set  sail  for  England.  He  remained  abroad  until 
1763,  when  he  returned  as  Governor  of  Pennsylvania. 
He  arrived  in  Philadelphia  on  October  30,  in  the  midst 
of  the  terrific  earthquake  of  that  year,  and  on  Novem- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  23 

ber  5,  George  Roberts  in  a  letter  to  Samuel  Powell,  in 
describing  the  new  Chief  Magistrate,  says : 

"His  Honor,  Penn,  is  a  little  gentleman,  though 
he  may  govern  equal  to  one  seven  feet  high." 

Charles  P.  Keith  has  thus  summed  up  Penn's 
career  from  the  time  of  his  first  arrival  in  Pennsyl- 
vania: "He  was  one  of  the  Commissioners  to  the 
Congress  at  Albany  in  the  summer  of  1754,  and  made 
several  journeys  to  the  neighboring  colonies.  Never- 
theless, his  trouble  made  him  again  despondent;  he 
began  to  shun  company;  he  would  have  joined  Brad- 
dock's  army  had  any  Pennsylvania  troops  formed  part 
of  it,  and  perhaps  have  died  on  the  field  which  that 
officer's  imprudence  made  so  disastrous.  Some  two 
months  after  the  defeat  he  returned  to  England." 

On  June  6,  1766,  a  brilliant  marriage  occurred  in 
Philadelphia.  John  Penn,  Lieutenant  Governor,  aged 
thirty-seven  years,  married  Anne,  the  daughter  of  Wil- 
liam Allen,  Chief  Justice ;  a  strange  fate  had  united  the 
lelative  of  Peter  Allen  of  "Tulliallan"  to  the  husband 
of  Maria  Cox,  pronounced  legally  dead  after  an  ab- 
sence of  eleven  years  in  parts  unknown.  Commenting 
on  this  alliance,  Nevin  Moyer,  the  gifted  Historian, 
lemarks:  "The  marriage  was  an  unpleasant  one,  on 
his  (Penn's)  account,  for  he  was  found  very  seldom 
at  home."  It  was  during  the  wedding  that  a  fierce 
electrical  storm  occurred,  unroofing  houses  and  shat- 
tering many  old  trees. 

It  was  not  long  after  this  marriage  when  a  feeling 
of   restlessness   impelled  him   to   start  another  of   his 


24  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

many  trips  to  the  interior.  This  time  it  was  given  out 
that  he  wished  to  visit  Penn's  Valley,  the  "empire" 
discovered  in  the  central  part  of  the  province  by 
Captains  Potter  and  Thompson,  and  named  in  his 
honor,  and  Penn's  Cave,  the  source  of  the  Karoon- 
dinha,  a  beautiful,  navigable  stream,  rechristened  "John 
Penn's  Creek."  He  managed  to  stop  over  night,  as 
everyone  of  any  consequence  did,  at  "Tulliallan,"  and 
slept  in  the  room  with  the  Scotch  thistles  carved  on 
the  woodwork,  and  saw  Peter  Allen  for  the  first  time 
in  twelve  years. 

A  foul  crime  had  recently  been  committed  in  the 
neighborhood.  Indian  Joshua,  who  used  to  live  at  the 
running  spring,  had  gone  to  Canada  the  year  of  Brad- 
dock's  defeat  (the  year  of  Mary's  disappearance,  Penn 
always  reckoned  it)  and  had  lately  returned  to  his  old 
abode.  He  had  been  shot,  as  a  trail  of  blood  from 
his  cabin  down  the  mountain  had  been  followed  clear 
to  Clark's  Creek,  where  it  was  lost.  In  fact,  pitiful 
wailing  had  been  heard  one  night  all  the  way  across 
the  valley,  but  it  was  supposed  to  be  a  traveling 
panther.  Arvas,  or  Silver  Heels,  had  also  come  back 
for  a  time,  but,  after  Joshua's  disappearance,  had  gone 
away. 

"Maybe  he  killed  his  friend,"  whispered  Allen, 
looking  down  guiltily,  as  he  spoke  what  he  knew  to  be 
untruthful  words. 

"It  is  all  clear  to  me  now,  Allen,"  said  Penn.  "I 
should  have  believed  Captain  Jack,  when  in  '55  he  told 
me  that  mv  late  wife  was  carried  off  to  Canada  bv 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  25 

Indians ;  the  kidnappers  came  back,  and  for  fear  that 
they  would  levy  hush  money  on  those  who  had  caused 
my  Mary  to  be  stolen,  murdered  Joshua  as  a  warning." 

Allen  did  not  answer,  but  Penn  said :  "You  have 
kept  a  public  house  so  long  that  you  have  forgotten  to 
be  a  gentleman,  and  I  do  not  expect  you  to  tell  the 
truth." 

In  1840  seekers  after  nestlings  of  the  vultures 
climbed  to  the  top  of  the  King's  Stool,  the  dizzy  pin- 
nacle of  the  Third  Mountain.  There  they  found  the 
skeleton  of  an  Indian.  It  was  all  that  was  left  of 
Joshua,  who  had  climbed  there  in  his  agony  and  died 
far  above  the  scenes  which  he  loved  so  dearly.  The 
hunters  put  the  bones  in  their  hunting  pouches  and 
climbed  down  the  "needle,"  and  buried  them  decently 
at  the  foot  of  the  rocks. 

The  King's  Stool  is  named  for  a  similar  high  point 
near  Lough  Foyle,  Ireland,  and  there  are  also  King's 
Stools  in  Juniata  and  Perry  Counties.  The  North  of 
Ireland  pioneers  were  glad  to  recognize  scenes  similar 
to  the  natural  wonders  of  the  Green  Isle ! 

A  great  light  had  come  to  John  Penn,  but  he  ac- 
cepted his  fate  philosophically,  just  as  he  had  the  abuse 
heaped  upon  him  for  his  vacillating  policy  towards  the 
Indians.  He  followed  up  his  vigorous  attempt  to 
punish  the  Paxtang  perpetrators  of  the  massacres  of 
the  Conestoga  Indians  at  Christmas  time,  1763,  by  pro- 
mulgating the  infamous  scalp  bounty  of  July,  1764, 
which  bounty,  to  again  quote  Professor  Mover,  paid 


20  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"$134  for  an  Indian's  scalp,  and  $150  for  a  live  Indian, 
and  $50  for  an  Indian  female  or  child's  scalp." 

There  are  not  enough  Indians  to  make  hunting  for 
bounties  in  Pennsylvania  a  paying  occupation  today,  so 
instead  there  is  a  bounty  on  wildcats  and  foxes,  wiping 
out  desirable  wild  life  to  satisfy  the  politicians'  filthy 
greed. 

John  Penn  returned  to  Philadelphia  without  visit- 
ing Penn's  Valley  or  Penn's  Cave  or  John  Penn's 
Creek.  He  had  seen  them  previously  in  1755  when 
they  bore  their  original  Indian  names,  and  his  heart 
was  still  sad.  It  was  not  long  after  returning  that  he 
again  started  on  another  expedition  up  the  Susque- 
hanna, traveling  by  canoe,  just  as  his  grandfather,  Wil- 
liam Penn,  had  done  in  his  supposedly  fabulous  trip 
to  the  sources  of  the  West  Branch  at  Cherry  Tree,  in 
1700.  A  stop  was  made  at  Fisher's  stone  house, 
Fisher's  Ferry.  A  group  of  pioneers  had  heard  of  his 
coming  and  gave  the  little  Governor  a  rousing  ovation. 
He  felt  nearest  to  being  happy  when  among  the  fron- 
tier people,  who  understood  him,  and  his  trials  had, 
like  Byron,  made  him  "the  friend  of  mountains" ;  he 
was  still  simple  at  heart.  In  the  kitchen,  seated  by  the 
inglenook,  he  heard  someone's  incessant  coughing  in  an 
inner  room.  He  asked  the  landlord,  old  Peter  Fisher, 
who  was  suffering  so  acutely. 

"Why,  sir,"  replied  Fisher,  "it's  an  Englishwoman 
dying." 

In  those  days  people's  nationalities  in  Pennsyl- 
vania were  more  sharply  defined,  and    any    English- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  27 

speaking  person  was  always  called  an  "Englishwoman" 
or  an  "Englishman,"  as  the  case  might  be. 

"Tell  me  about  her,"  said  the  Governor,  with  ill- 
concealed  curiosity. 

"It's  a  strange  story,  it  might  give  Your  Worship 
offense,"  faltered  the  old  innkeeper.  "They  tell  it,  sir, 
though  it's  doubtless  a  lie,  that  Your  Excellency  cared 
for  this  Englishwoman,  and  your  enemies  had  her  kid- 
napped by  two  Indians  and  taken  to  Canada.  The 
Indians  were  paid  for  keeping  her  there  until  a  few 
years  ago,  when  their  remittances  suddenly  stopped 
and  they  came  home;  one,  it  is  said,  was  murdered 
soon  after.  Arvas,  his  companion,  was  accused  of  the 
crime,  but  he  stopped  here  for  a  night,  a  few  weeks 
afterwards,  and  swore  to  me  that  he  was  guiltless.  The 
Englishwoman  finally  got  away  and  walked  all  the 
way  back  from  a  place  called  Muskoka,  but  she  caught 
cold  and  consumption  on  the  way,  and  is  on  her  death- 
bed now.  I  knew  her  in  all  her  youth  and  beauty  at 
Peter  Allen's,  where  she  was  always  the  belle  of  the 
balls  there ;  she  had  been  brought  up  a  Quaker,  but  my, 
how  she  could  dance.    You  would  not  know  her  now." 

"I  want  to  see  her,"  said  the  Governor,  rising  to 
his  feet. 

It  was  getting  dark,  so  Fisher  lit  a  rushlight,  anl 
led  the  way.  He  opened  the  heavy  door  without  rap- 
ping. His  wife  and  daughter  sat  on  high-backed  rush- 
bottomed  chairs  on  either  side  of  the  big  four-poster 
bed,  which  had  come  from  the  Rhine  country.  On  the 
bed  lay  a  woman    of    about    forty    years,  frightfully 


28  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

emaciated  by  suffering,  whose  exaggeratedly  clear-cut 
features  were  accentuated  in  their  marble  look  by  the 
pallor  of  oncoming  dissolution.  Her  wavy,  dark  hair, 
parted  in  the  middle,  made  her  face  seem  even  whiter. 

"Mary,  Mary,"  said  the  little  Governor,  as  he  ran 
tc  her  side,  seizing  the  white  hands  which  lay  on  the 
f  owered  coverlet. 

"John,  my  darling  John,"  gasped  the  dying  woman. 

"Leave  us  alone  together,"  commanded  the  Gov- 
ernor. 

The  women  looked  at  one  another  as  they  retired. 
The  thoughts  which  their  glances  carried  indicated 
'  well,  after  all  the  story's  true." 

They  had  been  alone  for  about  ten  minutes  when 
Penn  ran  out  of  the  door  calling,  "Come  quick,  some- 
one, I  fear  she's  going." 

The  household  speedily  assembled,  but  in  another 
ten  minutes  "Mary  Warren,"  alias  Maria  Cox-Penn 
had  yielded  up  the  ghost.  She  is  buried  on  the  brushy 
African-looking  hillside  which  faces  the  "dreamy  Sus- 
quehanna," the  Firestone  Mountains  and  the  sunset, 
near  where  travelers  across  Broad  Mountain  pass  every 
clay.  John  Penn  returned  to  Philadelphia  and  took  no 
more  trips  to  the  interior.  He  divided  his  time  between 
his  town  house,  44  Pine  Street,  and  his  country  seat 
"Lansdowne." 

During  the  Revolution  he  was  on  parole.  He  died 
childless.  February  9,  1795,  and  is  said  to  be  buried 
under  the  floor,  near  the  chancel,  in  the  historic  Christ 
Church,  Philadelphia,  which  bears  the  inscription  that 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  29 

he  was  "One  of  the  Late  Proprietors  of  Pennsylvania." 
Most  probably  his  body  was  later  taken  to  England. 
His  wife,  nee  Allen,  survived  him  until  1813. 

The  other  night  in  the  grand  hall  of  the  Historical 
Society  of  Pennsylvania  in  the  Quaker  City,  a  notable 
reception  was  given  in  honor  of  the  grand  historian- 
governor,  William  C.  Sproul,  fresh  from  his  marvelous 
restoration  of  the  Colonial  Court  House  at  Chester 
As  he  stood  there,  the  embodiment  of  mental  and 
physical  grace  and  strength,  the  greatest  Governor  of 
3  generation,  receiving  the  long  line  of  those  who  came 
to  pay  their  respects  and  well  wishes,  Albert  Cook 
Myers,  famed  historian  of  the  Quakers,  mentioned  that 
the  present  Governor  of  the  Commonwealth  was  stand- 
ing just  beneath  the  portrait  of  John  Penn,  one  of  the 
last  of  the  Proprietaries.  And  what  a  contrast  there 
was !  Penn  looked  so  effete  and  almost  feminine  with 
his  child-like  blonde  locks,  his  pink  cheeks,  weak,  half- 
closed  mouth,  his  slender  form  in  a  red  coat,  so  differ- 
ent from  the  vigorous  living  Governor.  Penn  was  also 
so  inferior  to  the  other  notable  portraits  which  hung 
about  him — the  sturdy  Huguenot,  General  Henri 
Bouquet,  the  deliverer  of  Fort  Duquesne  in  1758  and 
1763;  the  stalwart  Scot,  General  Arthur  St.  Clair,  of 
Miami  fame,  who  was  left  to  languish  on  a  paltry  pen- 
sion of  $180  a  year  at  his  rough,  rocky  farm  on  Laurel 
Ridge;  the  courageous-looking  Irishman,  General  Ed- 
ward Hand ;  and,  above  all,  the  bold  and  dashing  eagle 
face  of  General  "Mad  Anthony"  Wayne.  Such  com- 
pany for  the  last  of  the  Penns  to  keep!     Though  lack- 


30  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ing'  the  manly  outlines  of  his  fellows  on  canvas,  who 
can  say  that  his  life  had  one  whit  less  interest  than 
theirs — probably  much  more  so,  for  his  spirit  had  felt 
the  thrill  of  an  undying  love,  which  in  the  end  sur- 
mounted all  difficulties  and  left  his  heart  master  of 
the  field. 

Though  his  record  for  statecraft  can  hardly  be 
written  from  a  favorable  light,  and  few  of  his  sayings 
or  deeds  will  live,  he  has  joined  an  immortal  coterie 
led  down  the  ages  by  Anthony  and  the  beautiful 
Egyptian  queen,  by  Abelard  and  Heloise,  Dante  and 
Beatrice,  Petrarch  and  Laura,  Alfieri  and  the  Countess 
of  Albany,  and  here  in  Pennsylvania  by  Hugh  H. 
Brackenridge  and  the  pioneer  girl,  Sabina  Wolfe,  and 
Elisha  Kent  Kane,  and  the  spiritualist,  Maria  Fox. 
Love  is  a  force  that  is  all-compelling,  all-absorbing  and 
never  dies,  and  is  the  biggest  thing  in  life,  and  the  story 
of  John  Penn  and  Maria  Cox  will  be  whispered  about 
in  the  backwoods  cabins  and  wayside  inns  of  the  Penn- 
sylvania Mountains  long  after  seemingly  greater  men 
and  minds  have  passed  to  forgetfulness. 

But  for  a  few.  lines  in  the  writings  of  Charles  P. 
Keith,  H.  M.  Jenkins,  Nevin  W.  Moyer  and  various 
Penn  biographers,  such  as  Albert  Cook  Myers,  the 
verbal  memories  of  'Squire  W.  H.  Garman,  James  Till. 
Mrs.  H.  E.  Wilvert  and  other  old-time  residents  of  the 
vicinity  of  "Tulliallan,"  all  would  be  lost,  and  the  in- 
spiration of  a  story  of  overwhelming  affection  unre- 
corded in  the  annals  of  those  who  love  true  lovers. 


II 

At  His  Bedside 

WHEN  old  Jacob  Loy  passed  away  at  the  age  of 
eighty  years,  he  left  a  pot  of  gold  to  be  divided 
equally  among  his  eight  children.  It  was  a 
pot  of  such  goodly  proportions  that  there  was  a  nice 
round  sum'  for  all,  and  the  pity  of  it  was  after  the 
long  years  of  privation  which  had  collected  it,  that 
some  of  the  heirs  wasted  it  quickly  on  organs,  fast 
horses,  cheap  finery  and  stock  speculations,  for  it  was 
before  the  days  of  player-pianos,  victrolas  and  auto- 
mobiles. 

Yolande,  his  youngest  daughter,  was  a  really  attrac- 
tive girl,  even  had  she  not  a  share  in  the  pot  of  gold, 
and  had  many  suitors  Though  farm  raised  and 
inured  to  hardships  she  was  naturally  refined,  with 
wonderful  dark  eyes  and  hair,  and  pallid  face — the 
perfect  type  of  Pennsylvania  Mountain  loveliness. 

Above  all  her  admirers  she  liked  best  of  all 
Adam  Drumneller,  a  shrewd  young  farmer  of  the 
neighborhood,  and  eventually  married  him.  i  nree 
children  were  born  in  quick  succession,  in  the  small 
tenant  house  on  his  father's  farm  in  Chest  Township, 
where  the  young  couple  ha>d  gone  to  live  immediately 
after  their  wedding. 

Shortly  after  the  birth  of  the  last  child  old  Jacob 
Drumheller  died,  and  the  son  and  his  family  moved 
into  the  big  stone  farmhouse  near  the  banks  of  the 

31 


32  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

sulphurous  Clearfield  Creek.  It  was  not  long  after 
this  fortuitous  move  that  the  young  wife  began  to 
show  signs  of  the  favorite  Pennsylvania  mountain 
malady — consumption.  Whether  it  was  caused  by  a 
deep-seated  cold  or  came  about  from  sleeping  in  rooms 
with  windows  nailed  shut,  no  one  could  tell,  but  the 
beautiful  young  woman  became  paler  and  more  wax- 
like, until  she  realized  that  a  speedy  end  was  inevit- 
able. Many  times  she  found  comfort  in  her  misfor- 
tune by  having  her  husband  promise  that  in  the  event 
of  her  death  he  would  never  remarry. 

"Never,  never,"  he  promised.  "I  could  never  find 
)  our  equal  again." 

He  was  sincere  in  some  respects ;  it  would  be 
hard  to  find  her  counterpart,  and  she  had  made  a  will 
leaving  him  everything  she  possessed,  and  he  imagined 
that  the  pot  of  gold  transformed  into  a  bank  balance 
or  Government  bonds  would  be  found  somewhere 
among  her  effects. 

Before  ill  health  had  set  in  he  had  quizzed  her 
many  times,  as  openly  as  he  dared,  on  the  whereabouts 
of  her  share  of  the  pot. 

''It  is  all  safe,"  she  would  say.  "It  will  be 
forthcoming  some  time  when  you  need  it  more  than 
you  do  today,"  and  he  was  satisfied. 

As  she  grew  paler  and  weaker  Adam  began  to 
think  more  of  Alvira  Hamel,  another  comely  girl 
whom  he  had  loved  when  he  railroaded  out  of  Johns- 
town, at  Kimmelton,  and  whom  he  planned  to  claim 
as  his  own  should  Yolande  pass  away. 


SCENE   IN    SNVI)ER-MII)I)LESW.\RTH    PARK 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  33 

Perhaps  his  thoughts  dimly  reflected  on  the  dying 
wife's  sub-conscious  mind,  for  she  became  more  insist- 
ent every  day  that  he  promise  never  to  remarry. 

"Think  of  our  dear  little  children,"  she  kept  say- 
ing, "sentenced  to  have  a  stepmother;  I  would  come 
back  and  haunt  you  if  you  perpetrate  such  a  cruelty 
to  me  and  mine." 

Adam  had  little  faith  in  a  hereafter,  and  less. in 
ghosts,  so  he  readily  promised  anything,  vowing 
eternal  celebacy  cheerfully  and  profoundly. 

When  Yolande  did  finally  fade  away,  she  died 
reasonably  happy,  and  at  least  died  bravely.  She 
never  shed  a  tear,  for  it  is  against  the  code  of  the 
Pennsylvania  Mountain  people  to  do  so — perhaps  a 
survival  of  the  Indian  blood  possessed  by  so  many  of 
them. 

Three  days  after  the  funeral  Adam  hied  himself 
to  Ebensburg  to  "settle  up  the  estate."  but  also  to  look 
up  Alvira  Hamel,  who  was  now  living  there.  She 
seemed  glad  to  see  him,  and  when  he  broached  a  pos- 
sible union  she  acted  as  if  pleased  at  everything  except 
to  go  on  to  that  lonely  farm  on  the  polluted  Clearfield 
Creek. 

By  promising  to  sell  out  when  he  could  and  move 
to  Barnesboro  or  Spangler,  a  light  came  in  her  dark 
etyes\,  and  though  he  did  not  visit  the  lawyer  in  charge 
of  his  late  wife's  affairs,  his  day  in  town  was  suc- 
cessful in  arranging  for  the  new  alliance  with  his 
sweetheart  of  other  days. 

In  due  course  of  time  it  was  discovered  that  the 


34  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

equivalent  of  Yolande's  share  of  the  pot  of  gold  left 
by  old  Jacob  Loy  was  not  to  be  found.  "She  may 
have  kept  it  in  coin  and  buried  it  in  the  orchard,"  was 
:some  of  the  very  consoling  advice  that  the  lawyer 
;gave. 

At  any  rate  it  was  not  located  by  the  time  that 
Adam  and  Alvira  were  married,  but  the  bridgegroom 
was  well  to  do  and  could  afford  to  wait.  Alter  a 
short  trip  to  Pittsburg  and  Wheeling  the  newly  mar- 
ried couple  took  up  housekeeping  in  the  big  brick 
farmstead  above  the  creek. 

The  first  night  that  they  were  back  from  the 
honeymoon — it  was  just  about  midnight  and  Alvira 
was  sleeping  peacefully — Adam  thought  that  he  heard 
footsteps  on  the  stairs.  He  could  not  be  mistaken. 
Noiselessly  the  door  opened,  and  the  form  of  Yolande 
glided  into  the  room ;  she  was  in  her  shroud,  all  white, 
and  her  face  was  whiter  than  the  shroud,  and  her 
long  hair  never  looked  blacker. 

Along  the  whitewashed  wall  by  the  bedside  was 
a  long  row  of  hooks  on  which  hung  the  dead  woman's 
wardrobe.  It  had  never  been  disturbed ;  Alvira  was 
going  to  cut  the  things  up  and  make  new  garments 
out  of  them  in  the  Spring.  Adam  watched  the  appar- 
ition while  she  moved  over  to  the  clothing,  counting 
them,  and  smoothed  and  caressed  each  skirt  or  waist, 
as  if  she  regretted  having  had  to  abandon  them  for 
the  steady  raiment  of  the  shroud. 

Then  she  came  over  to  the  bed  and  sat  on  it  close 
to  Adam,  eyeing  him  intently  and  silently.      Just  then 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  35 

Alvira  got  awake,  but  apparently  could  see  nothing 
of  the  ghost,  although  the  room  was  bright  as  day, 
bathed  in  the  full  moon's  light. 

Yolande  seemed  to  remain  for  a  space  of  about  ten 
minutes,  then  passed  through  the  alcove  into  the  room 
where  the  children  were  sleeping  and  stood  by  their 
bedside.  The  next  night  she  was  back  again,  repeat- 
ing the  same  performance,  the  next  night,  and  the 
next,  and  still  the  next,  each  night  remaining  longer, 
until  at  last  she  stayed  until  daybreak.  In  the  morn- 
ing as  the  hired  men  were  coming  up  the  boardwalk 
which  led  to  the  kitchen  door,  they  would  meet 
Yolande,  in  her  shroud  coming  from  the  house,  and 
passing  out  of  the  back  gate.  On  one  occasion 
Alvira  was  pumping  water  on  the  porch,  but  made 
no  move  as  she  passed,  being  evidently  like  so  many 
persons,  spiritually  blind.  The  hired  men  had  known 
Yolande  all  their  lives,  and  were  surprised  to  see  her 
spooking  in  daylight,  but  refrained  from  saying  any- 
thing to  the  new  wife. 

Every  day  for  a  week  after  that  she  appeared  on 
the  kitchen  porch,  or  on  the  boardwalk,  in  the  yard, 
on  the  road,  and  was  seen  by  her  former  husband 
many  times,  and  also  her  night  prowling  went  on  as 
of  yore.  The  hired  men  began  to  complain ;  it  might 
make  them  sick  if  a  ghost  was  around  too  much ; 
these  spooks  were  supposed  to  exhale  a  poison  much 
as  copperhead  snakes  do,  and  also  draw  their  "life" 
away,  and  they  threatened  to  quit  if  she  wasn't  "laid." 
All  of  them  had  seen  spooks  before,  on  occasion,  but 


36  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

a  daily  visitation  of  the  same  ghost  was  more  than 
they  cared  about. 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  excitable  hired  men, 
Adam,  whose  nerves  were  like  iron,  could  have  stood 
Yolande's  ghost  indefinitely.  In  fact,  he  thought  it 
rather  nice  of  her  to  come  back  and  see  him  and  the 
children  "for  old  time's  sake."  But  the  farm  hands 
must  be  conserved  at  any  cost,  even  to  the  extent  of 
laying  Yolande's  unquiet  spirit. 

The  next  night  when  she  appeared,  he  made  bold 
and  spoke  to  her:  "What  do  you  want,  Yolande."  he 
said  softly,  so  as  not  to  wake  the  soundly  sleeping 
Alvira  at  his  side.  "Is  there  anything  I  can  do  for 
you,  dear?" 

Yolande  came  very  close  beside  him,  and  bend- 
ing down  whispered  in  his  ear:  "Adam,"  said  she, 
"how  can  you  ask  me  why  I  am  here?  You  surely 
know.  Did  you  not,  time  and  time  again,  promise  never 
to  marry  again,  if  I  died,  for  the  sake  of  our  darling 
children  ?  Did  you  not  make  such  a  promise,  and  see 
how  quickly  you  broke  it!  Where  I  am  now  I  can 
hold  no  resentments,  so  I  forgive  you  for  all  your 
transgressions,  but  1  hope  that  Alvira  will  be  good  to 
our  children.  I  have  one  request  to  make:  After  I 
left  you,  you  were  keen  to  find  what  I  did  with  my 
share  of  daddy's  pot  of  gold.  I  had  it  buried  in  the 
orchard  at  my  old  home,  under  the  Northern  Spy,  but 
after  we  moved  here,  one  time  when  you  went  deer 
hunting  to  Centre  County,  I  dug  it  up  and  brought  it 
over  here  and  buried  it  in  the  cellar  of  this  house.     It 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  37 

is  here  now.  There  are  just  one  hundred  and  fifty- 
three  twenty  dollar  gold  pieces ;  that  was  my  share. 
The  children  and  the  money  were  on  my  mind,  not 
your  broken  promise  and  rash  marriage,  which  you 
will  repent,  and  which  I  tell  you  again  I  forgive  you 
for.  I  want  my  children  to  have  that  money,  every 
one  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  twenty  dollar 
gold  pieces.  I  buried  it  a  little  to  the  east  of  the 
spring  in  the  cellar,  about  two  feet  under  ground,  in  a 
tin  cartridge  box.  Dig  it  up  tomorrow  morning,  and 
if  you  find  the  one  hundred  and  fifty-three  coins,  and 
give  every  one  to  the  children,  I  will  never  come  again 
and  upset  your  hired  men.  Why  I  have  Myron  Shook 
about  half  scared  to  death  already,  hut  if  you  don't 
find  every  single  coin  I'll  have  to  come  back  until  you 
do,  or  if  you  hold  it  back  from  the  children,  you  will 
not  be  able  to  keep  a  hireling  on  this  place,  or  any 
other  place  to  which  you  move.  Many  live  folks  can't 
see  ghosts;  your  wife  is  one  of  these;  she  will  never 
worry  until  the  hired  men  quit,  then  she'll  up  and 
have  you  make  sale  and  move  to  town.  Be  square 
and  give  the  children  the  money,  and  I'll  not  trouble 
you  again." 

"Oh,  Yolande,"  answered  Adam  in  gentle  tones, 
"you  are  no  trouble  to  me,  not  in  the  least.  I  love  to 
have  you  visit  me  at  night,  and  look  at  the  children, 
but  you  are  making  the  hired  help  terribly  uneasy. 
That  part  you  must  quit." 

That's  enough  of  your  drivel,  Adam,"  spoke 
Yolande,  in  a  sterner  tone  of  voice.      "Talk  less  like  a 


38  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

fool,  and  more  like  a  man.  Dig  up  that  money  in  the 
morning,  count  it,  and  give  it  to  the  children  and  I'll 
be  glad  never  to  see  you  again." 

To  be  reproached  by  a  ghost  was  too  much  for 
Adam,  and  he  lapsed  into  silence,  while  Yolande  slip- 
ped out  of  the  room,  over  to  the  bedside  of  the  sleep- 
ing children,  where  she  lingered  until  daylight. 

Adam  was  soon  asleep,  but  was  up  bright  and 
early  the  next  morning,  starting  to  dress  just  as  the 
ghost  glided  out  of  the  door.  By  six  o'clock  he  had 
exhumed  Yolande's  share  of  the  pot  of  gold  which 
was  buried  exactly  as  her  ghostly  self  had  described. 

It  was  a  hard  wrench  to  hand  the  money  over  to 
the  children,  or  rather  to  take  it  to  Ebensburg  and 
start  savings  accounts  in  their  names.  But  he  did 
it  without  a  murmur.  The  cashier,  a  horse  fancier, 
gave  him  a  present  of  a  new  whip,  of  a  special  kind 
that  he  had  made  to  order  at  Pittsburg,  so  he  came 
home  happy  and  contented. 

Night  was  upon  him,  and  supper  over,  he  retired 
early,  dozing  a  bit  before  the  "witching  hour."  As 
the  old  Berks  County  tall  clock  in  the  entry  struck 
twelve,  he  began  to  watch  for  Yolande's  accustomed 
entrance.  But  not  a  shadow  appeared.  The  clock 
struck  the  quarter,  the  half,  three  quarters  and  one 
o'clock.  No  Yolande  or  anything  like  her  came;  she 
was  true  to  her  promise,  as  true  as  he  had  been  false. 
It  was  an  advantage  to  be  a  ghost  in  some  ways.  They 
were  honorable  creatures. 

Adam  did  not  know  whether  to  feel  pleased  or 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


39 


not.  His  vanity  had  been  not  a  little  appealed  to  by  a 
dead  wife  visiting  him  nightly ;  now  he  was  sure  that 
it  wasn't  for  love  of  him  or  jealousy,  she  had  been 
coming  back,  but  to  see  that  the  children  got  the  money 
that  had  been  buried  in  the  cellar.  And  at  last  she  had 
spoken  rather  unkindly,  so  the  great  change  called 
death  had  ended  her  love,  and  she  wasn't  grieving  over 
his  second  marriage  at  all.  However,  he  fell  to  con- 
soling himself  that  she  had  chided  him  for  breaking 
his  word  and  marrying  again;  she  must  have  cared 
for  him  or  she  would  not  have  said  those  things. 
Then  the  thought  came  to  him  that  she  wasn't  really 
peeved  at  anything  concerning  his  marriage  to  Alvira 
except  that  the  children  had  gotten  a  stepmother.  He 
wondered  if  Alvira  would  continue  to  be  kind  to  them. 
Just  as  he  went  to  sleep  he  had  forgotten  both  Yolande 
and  Alvira,  chuckling  over  a  pretty  High  School  girl 
he  had  seen  on  the  street  at  the  'burg,  and  whom  he 
had  winked  at. 


111. 

The  Prostrate  Juniper 

WEGUARRAlN  was  a  young  warrior  of  the  Wy- 
andots,  who  lived  on  the  shores  of  Lake 
Michigan.  In  the  early  spring  of  1754  he  was 
appointed  to  the  body-guard  of  old  Mozzetuk,  a  leader 
of  the  tribe,  on  an  embassy  to  Bethlehem,  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, to  prevail  on  the  holy  men  there,  as  many  In- 
dians termed  the  Moravians,  to  send  a  band  of  Mis- 
sionaries to  the  Wyandot  Country,  with  a  view  of 
Christianizing  the  tribe,  and  acting  as  advisors  and 
emissaries  betwen  the  Wyandots  and  allied  nations 
with  the  French  and  other  white  men,  who  were  con- 
stantly encroaching  on  the  redmen's  territories. 

Weguarran,  the  youngest  and  the  handsomest  of 
the  esocrt,  was  very  impressionable,  and  across  Ohio 
and  over  the  Alleghenies,  he  made  friends  with  the 
Indian  maidens  of  the  various  encampments  passed 
en  route. 

The  reception  at  Bethlehem  was  cordial,  but 
not  much  hope  was  held  out  for  an  immediate  despatch 
of  Missionaries  as  the  Moravians  were  anxious  to 
avoid  being  drawn  into  the  warlike  aspirations  of  the 
English  and  French,  preferring  to  promote  the  faith 
in  pacified  regions,  as  very  few  of  them  were  partisans, 
but  if  they  had  a  leaning  at  all,  it  was  toward  the 
French.  This  was  due  to  the  fact  that  the  French  al- 
ways understood  the  Indians  better    than  the  English, 

40 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  41 

were  more  sympathetic  colonizers,  and  while  many 
French  Missionaries  carried  forward  the  tenets  of 
Rome,  there  was  no  religious  intolerance,  and  Mission- 
aries of  every  faith  seemed  to  thrive  under  their  lead- 
ership. 

While  at  Bethlehem  and  Nazareth,  Weguarran 
was  much  favored  by  the  Indian  maids  of  those  lo- 
calities, but  did  not  wholly  lose  his  heart  until  one 
afternoon  »at  the  cabin  of  an  old  Christian  Pequot 
named  Michaelmas.  This  old  Indian,  a  native  of  Con- 
necticut, lived  in  a  log  cabin  on  a  small  clearing  near 
the  Lehigh  River,  where  he  cultivated  a  garden  of 
rare  plants  and  trees,  and  raised  tobacco.  All  his 
pastimes  were  unusual;  he  captured  wild  pigeons, 
which  he  trained  to  carry  messages,  believing  that 
they  would  be  more  valuable  in  wartime  than  run- 
ners. He  also  practiced  falconry,  owning  several 
hawks  of  race,  goshawks,  marsh  hawks  and  duck 
hawks.  The  goshawks  he  used  for  grouse,  wood- 
cocks and  quails ;  the  marsh  hawks  for  rabbits,  hares 
and  'coons ;  and  the  duck  hawks  for  wild  ducks  and 
other  waiter  birds,  which  fairly  swarmed  on  the  Le- 
high in  those  days.  He  was  a  religious  old  man,  al- 
most a  recluse,  strong  in  his  prejudices,  and  was  much, 
enthused  by  the  Wyandot  embassy,  giving  his  wan- 
ing hopes  a  new  burst  of  life  for  an  Indian  renais- 
sance. 

He  took  a  great  fancy  to  the  manly  and  hand- 
some Weguarran,  inviting  him  to  his  cabin,  and  it 
was  there  that  the  youthful  warrior  met  the  old  man's 


42  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

lovely  daughter,  Wulaha.  She  was  an  only  child, 
eighteen  years  of  age.  Her  mother  belonged  to  the 
Original  People  and  was  also  a  Christian. 

Love  progressed  very  rapidly  between  Weguarran 
and  Wulaha,  and  as  the  time  drew  near  for  the  em- 
bassy to  depart,  the  young  girl  intimated  to  her  lover 
that  he  must  discuss  the  subject  with  old  Michaelmas, 
and  secure  his  approval  and  consent,  after  the  man- 
ner of  white  Christians. 

The  old  Pequot  was  not  averse  to  the  union, 
which  would  add  another  strain  of  Indian  blood  to  the 
family,  but  stated  that  a  marriage  could  only  take 
place  on  certain  conditions.  Weguarran,  in  his  con- 
versations with  Michaelmas,  had  told  him  of  his  mil- 
itary affiliations  with  the  French,  which  had  filled 
the  old  man's  heart  with  joy  for  the  hopes  of  a  new 
order  of  things  that  it  seemed  to  kindle.  When  he 
asked  the  hand  of  the  fair  Wulaha  in  marriage, 
Michaelmas  "came  back"  with  the  following  propo- 
sition : 

"Weguarran,  I  am  getting  old  and  feeble,"  he 
said.  "I  may  pass  alway  any  time,  and  I  could  not 
bear  the  thought  of  my  squaw  being  left  alone,  which 
would  be  the  case  if  you  married  Wulaha  and  took 
her  to  the  distant  shores  of  Lake  Michigan.  How- 
ever, there  are  greater  things  than  my  death  and  my 
squaw's  loneliness,  the  future  of  the  red  race,  now 
crushed  to  earth  by  the  Wunnux,  as  we  call  the  white 
men,  but  some  day  to  be  triumphant.  You  have  told 
me  that  within  this  very  year  the  French  and  Indians 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  43 

are  sure  to  engage  the  English  in  a  mighty  battle 
which  will  decide  the  future  history  of  the  Continent. 
You  can  marry  Wulaha  right  after  that  battle,  if  you 
are  victorious ;  otherwise  you  can  do  as  the  Mission- 
aries tell  us  the  Romans  did — fall  on  your  sword. 
You  can  never  return  here,  as  I  do  not  want  my 
daughter  to  marry  and  continue  the  race  of  a  beaten 
people.  I  would  far  rather  have  her  die  single,  and 
have  our  seed  perish,  for  if  this  victory  is  not  won, 
doomed  is  every  redman  on  this  Continent.  The  only 
wish  of  the  English  is  to  encompass  our  extermina- 
tion. Wulaha  will  remain  at  home  until  after  that 
battle,  when  you  can  come  for  her  and  claim  her  as 
your  own,  and  we  will  give  her  to  you  with  rejoicing  " 

"What  you  say  is  surely  fair  enough,  Father 
Michaelmas,"  replied  Weguarran,  "for  I  would  see 
no  future  for  Wulaha  and  myself  if  the  English  are 
victorious  in  this  inevitable  battle.  As  soon  as  it  is 
won — and  it  will  be  won,  for  the  high  resolve  of 
every  Indian  warrior  is  to  go  in  to  win — I  will  hurry 
back  to  the  banks  of  the  Lehigh,  never  stopping  to 
rest,  sleep  or  eat,  to  tell  you  of  the  glad  tidings,  and 
bear  away  my  beloved  Wulaha.  T  want  to  ask  one 
special  favor  of  you.  I  have  admired  your  wonder- 
ful cage  of  trained  wild  pigeons,  which  you  say  will 
carry  messages  hundreds  of  miles.  Lend  me  one  of 
these  pigeons,  and  as  soon  as  the  victory  is  won,  I 
will  release  the  bird,  and  while  I  am  speeding  east- 
ward on  foot,  our  feathered  friend  will  flv  on  ahead 


44  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

and  end  the  suspense,  and  bring  joy  to  yourself,  your 
squaw  and  Wulaha." 

"I  will  gladly  let  you  have  my  best  trained  pig- 
eon, or  hawk,  or  anything  I  possess,  if  I  can  learn  of 
the  victory,  but  in  turn  I  will  ask  a  favor  of  you. 
I  listened  with  breathless  interest  to  your  tale?  of  the 
Prostrate  Junipers  which  grow  on  the  shores  of  the 
great  lakes,  which  cover  two  thousand  square  feet, 
and  are  hundreds  of  years  old.  You  promised  to 
bring  me  a  scion  of  one  of  those  curious  trees,  so  that 
I  might  plant  it  in  my  garden  of  rare  trees  and  shrubs. 
Now,  here  will  be  a  chance  to  associate  it  with  the 
great  victory ;  pluck  a  stout  but  small  scion,  and  if 
the  victory  is  won,  affix  it  firmly  to  one  of  the  pig- 
eon's legs  and  let  it  go.  If  it  comes  hack  without  the 
twig  of  Juniper  I  will  know  that  our  cause  has  lost, 
and  while  you  fall  on  your  sword,  I  and  my  family 
will  jump  into  the  Lehigh." 

"I  will  gladly  do  as  you  say,  Father  Michaelmas," 
said  Weguarran,  "and  will  send  a  twig  that  will  grow, 
and  some  day  make  a  noble  tree,  and  in  years  to  come, 
our  people  will  call  it  Weguairran's  Victory  Tree.  The 
The  fact  that  it  is  a  Prostrate  Tree  makes  it  all  the 
more  appropriate,  as  it  will  represent  the  English 
race  lying  prostrated,  crushed  by  the  red  race  they 
wronged,  and  by  our  kindly  and  just  French  allies." 

Weguarran  was  so  inspired  by  the  thought  of 
the  pigeon  messenger,  the  sprig  of  Prostrate  Juni- 
per, and  the  impending  victory  that  it  assuaged  his 
grief  at  the  parting  from  Wulaha,  sending  him  away 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  45 

determined  to  give  a  good  account  of  himself  in  all 
things. 

Old  Michaelmas  selected  a  handsome  cock  pig- 
eon, with  a  dragon's  blood  red  breast — his  very  best 
and  most  intelligent,  and  surest  flyer,  named  Wus- 
kawhan,  which  he  placed  in  a  specially  built,  bottle 
shaped  basket,  which  had  no  lid,  yet  the  top  was  too 
small  for  the  bird  to  escape.  In  this  way  it  could 
rise  up  and  peer  out,  as  it  was  carried  along,  and  not 
bruise  its  wing  coverts  or  head,  as  it  would  if  it  flew 
against  the  top  of  a  square  basket  with  a  lid. 

After  a  touching  parting  with  Wulaha,  her 
mother  and  father,  the  young  warrior  went  his  way 
with  his  precious  burden. 

The  Indians,  even  old  Mozzetuk,  were  rapid  trav- 
ellers, and  in  due  time  they  reached  the  country  of 
the  Prostrate  Junipers  on  the  shores  of  Lake  Mich- 
igan. They  arrived  jn  what  seemed  like  an  armed 
camp,  for  all  the  braves  had  been  called  to  arms, 
which  plotted  to  drive  Indians  and  French  to  the 
uttermost  ends  of  the  earth. 

Weguarran  was  quickly  mobilized,  and  a  musket 
in  one  hand  and  tomahawk  in  the  other,  while  on  his 
back  he  bore  the  sacred  pigeon,  he  marched  toward 
his  foes.  In  the  excitement  he  had  not  forgotten  to 
slip  into  his  pouch  at  his  belt  a  sprig  of  the  Prostrate 
Juniper,  which  would  be  the  emblem  of  the  English 
race  prostrate  under  the  foot  of  French  and  Indian 
allies. 

In  due  course  of  time  the  army  of  which  the 


46  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

picked  Wyandot  warriors  formed  a  part,  met  their 
English  foemen  on  Braddock's  Field,  completely  rout- 
ing and  all  but  annihilating  them.  General  Braddock 
himself  was  shot  from  'behind  by  one  of  his  own  men 
in  the  wild  stampede,  and  the  French  and  Indians  were 
completely  victorious. 

Surveying  the  gorey  scene,  every  wooded  glade 
lying  thick  with  dead  redcoats  and  broken  accoutre- 
ments, Weguarran  carefully  opened  the  panther  skin 
pouch  at  his  best,  taking  out  the  sprig  of  Prostrate 
Juniper.  Then  he  lifted  the  handsome  wild  pigeon 
from  its  bottle-nosed  cage  of  oak  withes,  and  with  a 
light  leathern  string,  affixed  the  little  twig,  on  which 
the  berries  still  clustered,  to  the  bird's  leg,  then  tossed 
the  feathered  messenger  up  into  the  air. 

The  pigeon  quickly  rose  above  the  trees,  circled 
a  few  times,  and  then  started  rapidly  for  the  east,  as 
fast  as  his  broad,  strong  wings  could  carry  him. 

This  done,  Weguarran  visited  his  chief,  obtain- 
ing leave  to  proceed  to  Bethlehem  to  claim  his  bride, 
promising  to  report  back  with  her  on  the  hanks  of  the 
Ohio  as  speedily  as  possible.  The  pigeon  naturally 
had  a  good  start,  and  by  the  next  morning  was  tlying 
over  the  palisaded  walls  of  John  Harris'  Trading  Post 
on  the  Susquehanna. 

t  A  love  story  was  being  enacted  within  those  walls, 
in  the  shadow  of  one  of  the  huge  .sheds  used  in  win- 
ter to  store  hides.  Keturah  Lindsay,  Harris'  niece, 
an  attractive,  curly-haired  Scotch  girl,  was  talking 
with   a  young   Missionary   whom   she   admired   very 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  47 

much,  Reverend  Charles  Pyrleus,  the  protege  of  Col. 
Conrad  Weiser. 

Unfortunately  they  had  to  meet  by  stealth  as  his 
attentions  were  not  favored  by  the  girl's  relatives, 
who  considered  him  of  inferior  antecedents.  They 
had  met  in  the  shed  this  fair  July  morning,  whether 
by  design  or  accident,  no  one  can  tell,  and  were  enjoy- 
ing one  another's  society  to  the  utmost. 

In  the  midst  of  their  mutual  adoration,  the  din- 
ner gong  was  sounded  at  the  trading  house,  and  Ke- 
turah,  fearful  of  a  scolding,  reluctantly  broke  away. 
As  she  came  out  into  the  sunlight,  she  noticed  a  hand- 
some wild  pigeon  drop  down,  as  if  exhausted,  on  one 
of  the  topmost  stakes  of  the  palisade  'which  sur- 
rounded the  trading  house  and  sheds. 

Keturah,  like  many  frontier  girls,  always  carried 
a  gun,  and  quickly  taking  aim,  fired,  making  the 
feathers  fly,  knocking  the  bird  off  its  perch,  and  it 
seemed  to  fall  to  the  ground  outside  the  stackade.  In 
a  minute  it  rose,  and  started  to  fly  off  towards  the 
east.  She  had  reloaded,  so  fired  a  second  time,  but 
missed. 

"How  strange  to  see  a  wild  pigeon  travelling 
through  here  at  this  time  of  year,"  she  thought,  as  car- 
rying her  smoking  firearm,  she  hurried  to  the  mess 
room  of  the  big  log  trading  house. 

The  messenger  pigeon  had  been  greviously  hurt, 
but  was  determined  to  go  "home."  On  and  on  it  went, 
sometimes  "dipping"  like  a  swallow,  from  loss  of 
blood,  but  by  sheer  will  power  keeping  on  the  wing.  As 


48  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

it  neared  the  foothills  of  the  South  Mountains,  neaT 
the  village  of  Hockersville,  with  old  Derry  Church 
down  in  the  vale,  it  faltered,  spun  about  like  a  pin 
wheel,  and  fell  with  a  thud.  Gulping  and  blinking  a 
few  times,  it  spread  out  its  wide  pinions  and  lay  on 
its  breastbone — stone  dead — the  twig  of  Prostrate 
Juniper  still  affixed  to  one  of  its  carmine  feet.  There 
it  lay,  brave  in  death,  until  the  storms  and  winds 
shivered  it,  and  it  rotted  into  the  ground. 

Weguarran  was  a  rapid  traveler,  and  in  forced 
marches  came  to  the  shady  banks  of  the  Lehigh  in 
three  or  four  days.  He  was  so  excited  that  he  swam 
the  stream.  He  brought  the  first  news  of  the  great 
victory  in  the  west  to  the  surprised  Michaelmas  and 
his  friends.  But  where  was  the  prized  wild  pigeon, 
Wuskawhan  ?  It  could  not  have  gone  astray,  for  such 
a  bird's  instinct  never  erred.  "Caught  by  a  hawk  or 
shot  down  by  some  greedy  fool  of  a  Wunnux"  was  the 
way  in  which  old  Michaelmas  explained  its  non-ap- 
pearance. 

The  news  spread  to  the  white  settlements  and  to 
the  towns,  and  there  was  consternation  among  all 
sympathizers  with  the  Crown — with  all  except  a  few 
Moravians  who  were  mum  for  policy's  sake,  and  the 
Indians,  whose  stoical  natures  alone  kept  them  from 
disclosing  the  elation  that  was  in  their  hearts. 

"The  English  never  wanted  the  Indians  civilized," 
said  Michaelmas,  boldly.  "They  drove  the  Moravians 
out  of  Schadikoke  and  from  the  Housatonic  when 
they  saw  the  progress  they  made  with  our  people; 


A    MAMMOTH    SHORT-LEAF    PINE 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  49 

were  it  not  for  the  Quakers  in  Pennsylvania,  they 
would  have  had  no  plate  to  harbor;  those  of  us  who 
felt  the  need  of  these  kind  friends  followed  them  in 
their  exile,  but  we  can  never  forgive  that  we  had  to 
leave  the  Connecticut  country  of  our  birth  under  such 
circumstances.  I  am  glad  that  our  enemies  were 
beaten  and  annihilated. 

Weguarran  was  baptized,  and  he  and  the  lovely 
Wulaha  were  married  by  one  of  the  Moravian  preach- 
ers, and  started  for  the  great  lake  country,  which  was 
to  be  their  permanent  home. 

Michaelmas  and  his  squaw  were  too  old  to  make 
the  long  journey,  but  they  were  happy  in  their  gar- 
den of  rare  trees  and  plants,  the  wild  pigeons,  the 
hawks  of  race,  and  the  dreams  of  an  Indian  renais- 
sance. They  lived  many  years  afterwards,  and  are 
buried  with  the  other  Christian  Indians  at  Bethlehem. 

Out  in  the  foothills  of  the  South  Mountains, 
overlooking  old  Derry  Church,  in  the  fertile  Lebanon 
Valley  among  the  pines  and  oaks  and  tulip  trees,  a1 
strange  seedling  appeared  in  the  spring  of  1756,  dif- 
ferent from  anything  that  the  mountain  had  known 
since  prehistoric  times.  Instead  of  growing  upward 
and  onward  as  most  brave  trees  do,  it  spread  out  wider 
and  greater  and  vaster,  until,  not  like  the  symbol  of 
the  Anglo-Saxon  prone  'beneath  the  heel  of  French 
and  Indian,  it  was  the  symbol  of  the  all  diffusing 
power  of  the  English  speaking  race,  which  has  grafted 
its  ideals  and  hopes  and  practical  purposes  over  the 
entire  American  Continent.     Nourished  by  the  life's 


50 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


blood  of  the  travelling  pigeon  that  bore  it  there,  it 
had  a  flying  start  in  the  battle  of  existence,  and  today, 
after  all  these  years,  bids  fair  to  last  many  years 
longer,  to  be  the  larboral  marvel  and  wonder  of  the 
Keystone  State. 

Well  may  the  Boy  Scouts  of  Elizabethtown  feel 
proud  to  be  the  honorary  custodians  of  this  unique  tree 
with  its  spread  of  2,000  feet,  for  apart  from  its  cur- 
ious appearance  and  charm,  it  has  within  it  mem- 
ories of  history  and  romance,  of  white  men  and  red, 
that  make  it  a  veritable  treasure  trove  for  the  his- 
torian and  the  folk-lorist,  and  all  those  who  love  the 
great  outdoors  in  this  wonderful  Pennsylvania  of 
ours! 


IV. 

Out  of  the  Ashes 

LAST  Autumn  we  were  crossing  Rea's  Hill  one  af- 
ternoon of  alternate  sunshine  and  shadow,  and 
as  we  neared  the  summit,  glanced  through  sev- 
eral openings  in  the  trees  at  the  wide  expanse  of  Fulton 
County  valleys  and  coves  behind  us,  on  to  the  intermin- 
able range  upon  range  of  dark  mountains  northward. 
In  the  valleys  here  and  there  were  dotted  square  stone 
houses,  built  of  reddish  sandstone,  with  high  roofs 
and  chimneys,  giving  a  foreign  or  Scottish  air  to 
the  scene.  Some  of  these  isolated  structures  were  de- 
serted, with  windows  gaping  and  roofs  gone,  pictures 
of  desolation  and  bygone  days. 

Just  as  the  crest  of  the  mountain  was  gained,  we 
came  upon  a  stone  house  in  process  of  demolition, 
in  fact  all  had  been  torn  away,  and  the  sandstone 
blocks  piled  neatly  by  the  highway,  all  but  the  huge 
stone  chimney  and  en  small  part  of  one  of  the  foun- 
dation walls.  Work  of  the  shorers  had  temporarily 
ceased  for  it  was  a  Saturday  afternoon.  Affixed  to 
the  chimney  was  a  wooden  mantel,  painted  black,  of 
plain,  'but  antique  design,  exposed,  and  already 
stained  by  the  elements,  and  evidently  to  be  abandoned 
by  those  in  charge  of  the  demolition. 

The  house  stood  on  the  top  of  a  steep  declivity, 
giving  a  marvelous  view  on  four  sides,  almost  strate- 
gic enough  to  have  been  a  miniature  fortress ! 

51 


52  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

It  was  the  first  time  in  a  dozen  years  that  we 
had  passed  the  site;  in  1907  the  house  was  standing 
and  tenanted,  and  pointed  out  as  having  been  a  tem- 
porary resting  place  of  General  John  Forbes  on  his 
eastern  march,  after  the  successful  conquest  of  Fort 
Duquesne,  in  1758.  Now  all  is  changed,  historic  mem- 
ories had  not  kept  the  old  house  inviolate ;  it  was  to 
be  ruthlessly  destroyed,  perhaps,  like  the  McClure 
Log  College  near  Harrisburg,  to  furnish  the  founda- 
tions for  a  piggery,  or  some  other  ignoble  purpose. 

As  we  passed,  a  pang  of  sorrow  overcame  us  at 
the  lowly  state  to  which  house  and  fireplace  had  fal- 
len, and  we  fell  to  recounting  some  of  the  incidents 
of  the  historic  highway,  in  military  and  civil  history, 
the  most  noteworthy  road  in  the  Commonwealth.  The 
further  on  we  traveled,  the  more  we  regretted  not 
stopping  and  trying  to  salvage  the  old  wooden  man- 
tel, but  one  of  our  good  friends  suggested  that  if  we 
did  not  care  to  return  for  it,  we  shauld  mention  the 
matter  to  the  excellent  and  efficient  Leslie  Seylar  at 
McConnellsburg,  who  knew  everyone  and  everything, 
and  could  doubtless  obtain  the  historic  relic  and  have 
it  shipped  to  our  amateur  "curio  shop." 

The  genial  Seylar,  famed  for  his  temperamental 
and  physical  resemblance  to  the  lamented  "Great 
Heart,"  was  found  at  his  eyrie  and  amusement  cen- 
tre on  top  of  Cove  Mountain,  and  he  gladly  consented 
to  securing  the  abandoned  mantel.  As  a  result  it  is 
now  in  safe  hands,  a  priceless  memento  of  the  golden 
age  of  Pennsylvania  History. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  53 

But  now  for  the  story  or  the  legend  of  the  man- 
tel, alluded  to  briefly  last  year  in  the  chapter  called 
the  "Star  of  the  Glen,"  in  this  writer's  "South  Moun- 
tain Sketches."  The  story,  as  an  old  occupant  of  the 
house  told  it,  and  he  survived  on  until  early  in  the 
Nineteenth  Century  was,  that  General  Forbes,  on 
this  victorious  eastern  march,  was  seized  many  times 
with  fainting  fits.  On  every  occasion  his  officers  and 
orderlies  believed  that  the  end  had  come,  so  closely 
did  he  simulate  death.  But  he  had  always  been  deli- 
cate, at  least  from  his  first  appearance  in  Pennsylva- 
nia, though  when  campaigning  with  the  gallant  Mar- 
shal Ligonier  in  France,  Flanders  and  on  the  Rhine, 
participating  in  the  battles  of  Dettingen,  Fontenoy 
and  Lauffeld,  no  such  symptoms  were  noted.  Al- 
though less  than  fifty  years  of  age  when  he  started 
towards  the  west,  he  was  regarded,  from  his  illnesses, 
as  an  aged  person,  Sherman  Day  in  his  inimitable 
"Historical  Collections"  states  that  there  was  "much 
dissatisfaction  in  the  choice  of-  a  leader  of  the  ex- 
pedition against  Fort  Duquesne,  as  General  Forbes, 
the  commander,  was  a  decrepit  old  man. 

What  caused  his  ill  health  history  has  not  uncov- 
ered at  this  late  date.  It  has  been  said  that  he  was  an 
epileptic,  like  Alexander  and  other  great  generals,  or 
a  sufferer  from  heart  trouble  or  general  debility.  His 
military  genius  outweighed  his  physical  frailties,  so 
that  he  rose  superior  to  him,  but  it  must  not  be  for- 
gotten  that   he   was   aided   by   two   brilliant  officers, 


54  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Colonel  George  Washington  and  Colonel  Henry  Bou- 
quet. 

His  immediate  entourage  was  a  remarkable  one, 
even  for  a  soldier  of  many  wars.  Like  a  true  Scots- 
man, he  carried  his  own  piper  with  him,  Donald  Mac- 
Kelvie,  said  to  be  a  descendant  of  the  mighty  Mac- 
Crimmons ;  and  his  bodyguard  was  also  headed  by  a 
Highlander,  Andrew  MacCochran,  who  had  been  a 
deer  stalker  on  one  of  the  estates  owned  by  the  Gen- 
eral's father. 

Forbes  himself,  being  a  younger  son,  was  not  a 
man  of  property,  and  Pittencrief  House,  his  birth- 
place, was  already  occupied  by  an  older  brother,  from 
whom,  so  Dr.  Burd  S.  Patterson  tells  us,  all  who 
claim  relationship  to  him  are  descended. 

The  General  was  carried  in  a  hammock,  with  fre- 
quent stops,  from  Harris'  Ferry  to  Fort  Duquesne, 
and  back  again,  borne  by  four  stalwart  Highlanders, 
in  their  picturesque  native  costumes,  wearing  the  tar- 
tan of  the  Forbes  clan.  The  deerstalker,  MacCochran, 
was  the  major  domo,  and  even  above  the  chief  of 
staff  and  Brigade  Surgeon,  gave  the  orders  to  halt 
when  the  General's  lean  weazened  face  indicated  an 
over-plussage  of  fatigue. 

It  was  late  in  the  afternoon  as  the  returning  army 
had  neared  the  summit  of  Rea's  Hill ;  the  pipers  were 
playing  gaily  Blaz  Sron,  to  cheer  foot  soldiers  and 
wagoners  up  the  steep,  rocky,  uneven  grade,  with  the 
General  in  the  van.  The  ascent  was  a  hard  one,  and 
the  ailing  commander-in-chief  was  shaken  about  con- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  55 

siderably,  so  much  so  that  MacCochran  was  glad  to 
note  the  little  stone  house,  where  he  might  give  him 
his  much  needed  rest. 

Old  Andrew  McCreath  and  his  wife,  a  North  of 
Ireland  couple,  the  former  a  noted  hunter,  occupied 
the  house;  their  son  was  serving  in  the  Pennsylvania 
Regiment,  which  formed  a  part  of  General  Forbes' 
expeditionary  forces.  The  old  folks  were  by  the  road- 
side, having  heard  the  bagpipes  at  a  great  distance, 
eager  to  see  the  visitors,  and  catch  a  glimpse  of  their 
hero  son.  They  were  surprised  and  pleased  when 
MacCochran  signalled  the  halt  in  front  of  their  door, 
which  meant  that  the  entire  procession  would  bivouac 
for  the  night  in  the  immediate  vicinity.  There  were 
several  good  springs  of  mountain  water,  so  all  could 
await  the  General's  pleasure. 

Permission  was  asked  to  make  the  house  "general 
hearquarters"  for  the  night,  which,  of  course,  was 
quickly  given,  as  the  old  couple  were  honored  to  have 
such  a  distinguished  visitor.  There  was  a  great  couch, 
or  what  we  would  today  call  a  "Davenport"  in  front 
of  the  fire,  and  there  the  General  was  laid,  the  room 
dark,  save  for  the  ruddy  glow  of  the  roaring  fire, 
which  illuminated  every  nook  and  corner,  and  made 
it  at  once  as  cheerful  as  it  was  warm  and  comfortable. 

The  General's  eyes  were  wide  open,  and  he  gazed 
about  the  room,  while  his  faithful  domestics  watched 
him  to  anticipate  every  wish.  When  he  was  ill  he  ex- 
cluded his  Staff,  but  kept  his  servants  with  him,  and 
they,  with  McCreath  and  his  wife,  stood  in  the  cor- 


56  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ners  of  the  room,  back  of  the  couch,  waiting  for  his 
commands. 

The  piper  asked  if  he  could  liven  his  master  with 
a  "wee  tune  or  two,"  but  the  General  shook  his  head ; 
his  sandy  locks  bad  become  untied,  and  flapped  about 
his  bony  face ;  he  made  a  motion  with  his  hand  that 
indicated  that  he  wanted  to  be  alone,  to  try  and  get 
some  sleep.  McCreath  and  his  wife,  and  their  stal- 
wart son,  the  other  bearers  of  the  hammock  and  lit- 
ters, and  the  surgeon  of  the  expedition,  Major  Mc- 
Lanahan,  who  had  slipped  into  the  room,  withdrew, 
leaving  the  piper  and  MacCochran  standing  in  the 
corner  back  of  the  couch,  to  aid  the  General  should  he 
become  violently  ill  in  his  sleep 

The  General  dozed,  and  the  bodyguard  became 
very  tired,  for  they  had  had  a  hard  march,  and  sank 
down  on  the  floor,  with  their  backs  to  the  wall.  All 
was  still,  save  for  the  tramp,  tramp  of  the  sentry  out- 
side the  window,  or  the  crackle  of  some  giant  bonfire 
in  the  general  campground,  or  the  barking  of  some 
camp  follower's  dog.  The  fire  had  died  down  a  little, 
but  threw  great  fitful  shadows,  like  a  pall,  over  the 
sleeping  General,  and  caused  an  exaggerated  shadow 
of  his  bold  profile  to  appear  on  the  wall. 

All  at  once,  without  the  slightest  warning,  he 
jumped  to  his  feet,  with  t.ie  elasticity  of  a  youth, 
and  arms  outstretched,  seemed  to  rush  towards  the 
fire.  He  might  have  tripped  over  the  pile  of  cord 
wood,  and  fallen  in  face  foremost,  had  not  the  ever 
watchful  piper  and  MacCochran,  springing  forward, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  57 

caught  him  simultaneously  in  their  strong  arms.  They 
did  not  find  him  excited,  or  his  mind  wandering,  like 
a  man  suddenly  aroused  from  slumbers.  On  the  con- 
trary, he  was  strangely  calm.  He  whispered  in  Mac- 
Cochran's  ear: 

"Andy,  I  have  seen  my  lady  of  Dunkerck.  She 
came  out  of  the  ashes  towards  me.  I  rushed  forward 
to  greet  her,  and  she  went  back  into  the  hearth  and 
was  gone." 

The  General  would  say  nothing  further,  but  al- 
lowed himself  to  be  laid  out  on  the  couch  once  more, 
and  be  covered  with  buffalo  robes,  and  while  he  lay 
quiet,  he  slept  no  more  that  night,  but  every  minute 
or  so  kept  looking  into  the  fire.  At  daybreak,  at  the 
sounding  of  Surachan  on  the  pipes,  he  was  able  to 
start,  and  the  balance  of  the  march  executed  without 
incident. 

He  reached  Philadelphia  in  safety,  but  within  a 
short  time  after  arriving  there  he  passed  away  un- 
expectedly, and  was  buried  in  historic  Old  Christ 
Church,  where  a  tablet  with  the  following  inscription 
was  erected  in  the  Chancel  by  the  Pennsylvania  Chap- 
ter of  the  Society  of  Colonial  Wars :  "To  the  Mem- 
ory of  Brigadier-General  John  Forbes,  Colonel  of  the 
17th  Regiment  of  Foot,  born  at  Pittencrief,  Fifeshire, 
1710,  died  in  Philadelphia,  March  11,  1759." 

MacCochran  was  released  from  the  army,  and  be- 
ing enamored  of  the  wild  mountain  country  in  the  in- 
terior of  Pennsylvania,  returned  to  the  forests.  Later, 
though  nearly  fifty  years  old,  he  enlisted  and  served 


58  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

through  the  Revolutionary  War  in  Captain  Parr's  Ri- 
flemen. After  peace  was  declared  he  bought  the  little 
stone  house  on  Rea's  Hill  from  young  McCreath,  who 
had  served  with  him  in  the  Rifle  Brigade,  and  lived 
there  alone  until  he  died  about  1803.  He  said  that  he 
liked  the  place  for  its  memories  of  General  Forbes, 
and  he  was  always  fond  of  telling  to  his  mountaineer 
friends  when  they  dropped  in  of  an  evening  for  a 
smoke  and  a  toddy,  of  his  hero's  exploits  in  peace 
and  war,  and  more  than  once  recounted  the  tale  of 
the  wraith  which  appeared  to  the  General  at  the  fire- 
place, during  his  eastward  journey  from  Fort  Du- 
quesne. 

General  Forbes,  he  said,  as  noted  previously,  was 
a  younger  son,  and  had  entered  the  army  early  in  life. 
He  had  been  too  busy  campaigning  to  marry,  but  not 
always  too  busy  to  fall  in  love.  Yet  he  was  a  serious- 
minded  man,  and  his  romances  were  always  of  the 
better  sort,  and  would  have  ended  happily  on  one  or 
more  occasions  but  for  the  exigencies  of  his  strenu- 
ous compaigns,  which  moved  him  from  place  to  place. 

Of  all  his  love  affairs,  the  one  that  hit  him  the 
hardest,  and  lasted  the  longest,  occurred  after  the 
victory  of  Lauffeld,  won  by  Marshal  Ligonier,  when, 
as  Lieutenant-Colonel,  he  was  quartered  with  his  reg- 
iment at  Dunkerck,  preparatory  to  embarking  for  Eng- 
land. Colonel  Forbes'  billet  was  with  one  Armand 
Violet,  a  rich  shipowner,  who  resided  in  a  mediaeval 
chateau,  which  his  weath  had  enabled  him  to  pur- 
chase from  some  broken-down  old  family,  on  the  out- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  59 

skirts  of  the  town.  It  was  built  on  a  bare,  chalky 
cliff,  overlooking  the  sea,  where  the  waves  "beat  over 
the  rocks,  and  sent  the  spray  against  the  walls  on 
stormy  nights,  and  the  wind,  banshee-like,  moaned  in- 
cessantly among  the  parapets. 

Violet  was  away  a  good  deal,  and  his  wife  was 
an  invalid,  and  peculiar,  but  their  one  daughter,  Ame- 
thyst Violet,  was  a  ray  of  sunshine  enough  to  illu- 
minate and  radiate  the  gloomiest  fortress-like  chateau. 
She  was  under  eighteen,  about  the  middle  height,  slin> 
ly  and  trimly  built,  with  chestnut  brown  hair,  blue 
eyes,  and  a  fair  complexion ;  her  hair  was  worn  in  puffs 
over  her  ears  and  brushed  back  from  her  brows,  just 
as  the  girls  are  again  wearing  it  today ;  she  was  viva- 
cious and  intelligent,  and  detected  in  the  Colonel,  de- 
spite his  thirty-seven  years,  a  man  of  superior  per- 
sonality and  charm. 

In  the  long  wait,  due  to  conflicting  orders,  and 
the  non-arrival  of  the  transport,  Forbes  and  Amethyst 
became  very  well  acquainted,  in  fact  the  Colonel  was 
very  much  in  love,  but  would  not  dream  of  mention- 
ing his  passion,  as  he  deemed  it  folly  for  a  man  of 
his  years  and  experience  to  espouse  a  mere  child.  The 
girl  was  equally  smitten,  but  more  impulsive  ,and  less 
self-contained. 

Every  evening  the  pair  were  together  in  the  great 
hall,  sitting  before  the  fire  in  the  old  hearth,  their 
glances,  which  often  met,  indicating  their  feelings,  but 
the  Colonel  confined  his  talk  to  descriptions  of  military- 
life,  Scotland,  its  glens  and  locks  and  wild  game,  old 


60  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


legends  and  ballads  which  he  loved  to  recite.  He  was 
particularly  fond  of  repeating  the  old  ballad  of  Bar- 
bara Livingston. 

One  night  while  the  wind  was  howling,  and  the 
spray  was  lashing  against  the  castle  walls,  and  the 
rain  dashed  and  hissed  against  the  panes,  the  time  to 
retire  had  come,  and  Amethyst,  instead  of  tripping 
away,  sprang  right  into  Forbes'  arms,  and  lay  her 
fluffy  head  against  his  bespangled  breast. 

"You  are  the  coldest  man  in  the  world"  she  sob- 
bed, looking  up  with  tear-dimmed  blue  eyes."  What 
have  you  meant-  all  these  nights,  we  two  alone  for 
hours  and  hours,  your  eyes  on  only  the  sparks  as  they 
swept  upwards  through  the  'louvre,'  and  your  thoughts 
only  on  battles  and  mountain  scenery.  I  love  you  more 
than  all  the  world,  and  yet  you  could  not  see  it,  or  did 
not  care.  I  can  restrain  my  feelings  no  longer ;  tell  me 
the  truth,  for  I  cannot  bear  the  suspense  and  live." 

Forbes  revealed  his  love  by  holding  her  very  tight, 
and  covering  her  wet,  hot  eyelids  with  kisses.  "Oh, 
foolish,  darling  Amethyst,"  he  said,  "I  love  you  just 
as  much  as  you  care  for  me.  I  have  from  the  first 
moment  I  saw  you,  and  hoped  that  the  transport  would 
never  come,  but  I  am  twice  your  age,  and  battered 
by  many  hard  campaigns,  and  while  I  think  I  could 
make  you  happy  now.  ten  years  hence  I  would  be  an 
old  man,  and  you  would  despise  me." 

Amethyst  looked  up  into  his  sad,  steady  eyes, 
saying,  "I  don't  care  what  happens  ten  years  from 
now ;  we  might  both  be  dead.   I  love  you,  and  I  want 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  61 

you.  I  will  give  you  a  week  to  decide ;  if  you  do  not, 
I  will  jump  off  the  highest  parapet  into  the  sea,  and 
you  can  have  yourself  all  to  yourself,  and  prosper  if 
you  will  with  your  stern  Covenanter's  principles." 

The  Colonel,  though  moved,  was  too  prudent  a 
Scot  to  capitulate.  He  took  the  case  under  advise- 
ment, and  every  night  for  a  week,  though  chival- 
rous and  charming,  neglected  to  set  the  beautiful  girl's 
mind  at  rest.  Yet  when  he  retired  to  his  room,  he 
paced  the  floor  all  night,  for  he  knew  that  the  exquis- 
ite girl  could  revive  his  youth. 

The  fatal  night  arrived.  Perhaps  the  result 
might  have  been  different  if  Amethyst  had  reminded 
her  lover  of  her  threat.  She  was  too  proud  to  do  so, 
and  the  Colonel,  thinking  that  she  had  forgotten  her 
rash  words — to  some  extent  at  least — was  mum,  and 
they  parted  gaily,  Amethyst  darting  out  of  the  hall 
humming  the  old  love  song  of  Barbara  Livingston, 
as  light  on  foot,  and  apparently  as  light  hearted  as  any 
carefree  child. 

She    was    never    seen    again — at    least    not    unti. 
Forbes  saw  'her  come  out  of  the  embers  at  the  fire 
place  on  Rea's  Hill,  more  than  thirteen  years  later. 

When  the  word  came  that  her  room  in  one  of 
the  turrets  was  empty,  a  general  search  was  made,  re- 
vealing the  trap-door  to  the  parapet  open.  In  her 
haste  she  had  omitted  dropping  it.  From  that  Forbes 
knew  that  the  worst  had  happened.  When  MacCoch- 
ran  told  it  to  him,  standing  pale  and  frigid  by  the 
ancient  hearth,  he  tried  to  stroke  his  small  military 


62  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

mustache,  to  show  his  sang-froid,  but  fell  in  a  swoon 
on  the  stone  floor,  lying  unconscious  for  a  week. 

That  was  the  beginning  of  the  fainting  fits  that 
plagued  him  for  the  rest  of  his  life,  and  the  com- 
mencement of  his  distaste  of  life,  which  caused  him 
to  ask  for  active  service  in  America,  in  a  new  and  wild 
environment,  far  from  scenes  similar  to  the  terrible 
tragedy  of  his  love  and  pride.  And  yet,  out  of  the 
fire,  in  distant  Pennsylvania,  had  appeared  the  long  lost 
Amethyst  Violet,  perhaps  as  a  "warning"  of  his  fast 
approaching  end,  to  open  the  portals  to  that  better 
world  where  they  would  be  together,  and  all  tilings 
be  as  they  should. 

MacCochran,  philosophic  and  superstitious  Scot 
that  he  was,  had  many  reasons  for  lingering  in  the 
little  stone  house.  Often  he  said,  when  he  sat  smok- 
ing late  at  night,  the  shadows  from  the  dying  fire 
would  cast  dark  shapes,  much  like  General  Forbes' 
bold  features,  on  the  walls,  and  he  felt  the  magnetic 
spell  of  his  old  Master's  presence.  Perhaps  out  of 
the  ashes  would  emerge  Amethyst  Violet,  or  her  spirit 
self,  and  the  lovers  could  be  re-unked  before  his  eyes 
m  a  shadowland. 

But  nothing  ever  happened  so  fortuitous,  and  the 
engraved  likenesses  of  "Bonnie  Prince  Charlie"  and 
Madame  d' Albany,  unhappy  lovers  also,  which  hung 
on  either  side  of  his  Revolutionary  rifle,  above  the 
mantel,  looked  down  on  him  as  if  in  sympathy,  for 
his  fidelity  which  had  survived  the  grave.  The  long 
looked    for   visitations   never   came ;    perhaps   among 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


63 


the  vaults  and  cornices  and  lofts  of  Old  Christ  Church, 
where  the  General  is  resting,  the  reunion  of  the  lovers 
has  taken  place,  'but  wherever  it  has,  the  place  is  known 
only  to  the  spirits  of  Forbes  and  'the  fair  Amethyst 
Violet ;  there  are  no  witnesses. 

And  now  the  present  owner  of  "General  Forbes' 
Fireplace,"  as  he  calls  it,  is  waiting  to  set  it  up  in  some- 
study  or  hunting  lodge,  beneath  the  skull  and  antlers 
of  the  extinct  Irish  elk,  from  Ballybetag  Bog,  where 
amid  forest  surroundings,  in  the  dead  of  night,  he  can 
keep  vigil  like  MacCochran,  after  reading  "Volumes 
of  Quaint  and  Forgotten  Lore,"  and  maybe  be  re- 
warded by  a  sight  of  the  true  lovers  from  out  of  the 
ashes. 


V. 

Wayside  Destiny 

LIKE  many  natives  of  the  Pennsylvania  Moun- 
tains, Ammon  Tatnall  was  a  believer  in  dreams 
and  ghosts.  Even  in  his  less  prosperous  days, 
when  life  was  considerable  of  a  struggle,  he  had  time 
to  ponder  over  the  limitless  possibilities  of  the  unseen 
world.  Probably  his  faith  in  the  so-called  supernat- 
ural was  founded  on  a  dream  he  had  while  clerking 
in  a  hotel  at  Port  Allegheny,  during  the  active  days 
of  the  lumber  business  in  that  part  of  the  Black  Forest. 

It  seemed  that  his  mother  was  lying  at  the  point 
of  death,  and  wanted  him  to  come  to  her,  but  as  she 
did  not  know  his  whereabouts,  was  suffering  much 
mental  anguish.  Just  in  the  midst  of  the  dream  the 
alarm  clock  went  off,  but  he  awoke  and  got  up  with 
the  impression  that  his  vision  had  been  real.  In  the 
office  he  informed  the  landlord  of  bis  dream.  Like  a 
true  mountain  man,  the  proprietor  merely  asked  him 
to  come  back  as  soon  as  he  could,  such  occurrences 
being  not  unusual  in  his  range  of  experience. 

At  home,  in  the  Wyoming  Valley,  he  found  con- 
ditions exactly  as  reproduced  in  the  dream.  His  sud- 
den coming  proved  the  turning  point  in  his  mother's 
illness;  she  rallied  and  got  well.  During  her  conva- 
lescence, for  Tatnall  remained  longer  than  he  had  ex- 
pected,  she  told  him  of  a  story  which  her  mother  had 

64 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  65 

told  her  of  the  straight  dreaming  of  some  of  their  an- 
cestors, pioneers  of  the  North  Branch. 

The  woman  in  question,  who  lived  many  years 
before,  dreamed  one  night  that  her  daughter  who  lived 
in  Connecticut,  and  who  had  married  just  as  they  left 
for  Wyoming,  appeared  to  her  with  a  baby  in  her  arms- 
she  said  she  herself  was  dead  and  she  desired  the  balby 
to  be  given  to  the  grandmother.  As  a  sign  of  the  real- 
ity of  the  vision,  she  placed  her  hand  on  the  wrist  of 
the  grandmother,  leaving  a  mark  on  it  that  could  never 
be  effaced. 

The  grandmother  took  the  long  journey  to  Con- 
necticut and  found  that  everything  had  happened  as 
told  in  the  dream.  The  child  grew  up,  and  became 
the  wife  of  a  well-known  Methodist  preacher,  and  was. 
famed  throughout  Northern  Pennsylvania  for  her  good 
deeds. 

Tatnall  gradually  advanced  in  life,  and  became 
agent  or  traveling  salesman  for  several  wholesale  lum- 
ber concerns.  He  had  gotten  bis  start  by  being  po- 
lite to  the  manager  of  one  of  the  companies  who  came 
up  from  Pittsburg  every  week  and  stopped  at  the  hotel. 
He  made  a  success  as  a  salesman,  and  it  was  a  mat- 
ter of  quiet  satisfaction  to  him  that  in  ten  years  he  rad 
sold  160,000,000  feet  of  lumber.  But  he  had  been  too 
busy  to  marry,  too  busy  to  have  a  home ;  was  a  driv- 
ing, pushing  machine  in  the  interests  of  his  employers. 
Sometimes  on  the  trains  he  met  with  intelligent  peo- 
ple, but  generally  his  associates  were  like  himself,  hu- 


66  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

man  dynamos,  'but  without  his  interest  in  the  super- 
natural. 

There  was  one  railway  journey  which  he  took 
frequently,  and  on  fast  trains.  His  westbound  trips 
carried  him  through  the  most  mountainous  part  of 
the  country  in  the  late  afternoon,  but  there  was  gen- 
erally light  enough  to  show  the  various'  aspects  of 
the  wild,  rugged  landscape.  There  was  a  little  aban- 
doned graveyard,  all  overgrown,  with  an  uneven  stone 
wall  around  it,  near  where  the  tracks  crossed  the  river 
bridge.  Standing  among  the  lop-sided  and  battered 
tombstones,  the  tips  of  some  of  the  older  ones  of 
brownstone  being  barely  visible,  looking  as  if  they 
were  sinking  into  the  earth,  he  would  always  see  the 
figure  of  a  young  woman  attired  completely  in  grey. 
The  train  was  always  traveling  so  fast  that  he  counted 
a  different  number  of  stones  every  time  he  went  by — 
there  were  probably  a  "Baker's  Dozen." 

For  a  long  time  he  thought  that  she  must  be  some 
particularly  devoted  mourner,  a  recently  bereaved  wid- 
ow, but  it  did  seem  a  strange  coincidence  that  she 
should  be  there  on  the  same  days  and  hour  that  'he 
passed  by  in  the  fast  train.  Once  he  called  his  seat- 
mate's  attention  to  the  figure,  but  the  companion  could 
see  nothing,  and  laughingly  said :  "Why,  you  must  be 
seeing  a  ghost." 

The  word  ghost  sent  a  thrill  through  Tatna'll,  and 
after  that  he  said  no  more  to  anyone,  but  conceded  to 
•himself  that  the  girl  in  grey  was  a  wraith  of  some 
kind.      Though   the  train  did  not  pass  close  to  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  67 

graveyard,  and  was  always  moving  rapidly,  he  fan- 
cied that  he  could  discern  the  ghost's  type  of  feature, 
or  imagined  he  did ;  at  any  rate  he  had  an  exact  mental 
picture  of  what  he  thought  she  looked  like,  and  would 
pick  her  out  in  a  crowd  if  he  ever  saw  her  in  hailing 
distance. 

This  had  kept  up  for  five  years,  and  he  began  to 
feel  that  it  was  getting  on  his  nerves;  he  must  either 
abandon  that  particular  train  or  go  to  the  graveyard 
and  investigate.  He  chose  the  latter  course,  and  one 
afternoon  arrived  at  the  nearest  station,  via  a  local 
train.  The  graveyard  was  on  the  opposite  side  of  the 
river,  and  there  seemed  to  be  very  little  hurry  on  the 
part  of  the  boatman,  who  lived  on  the  far  shore,  to 
carry  him  across.  It  was  late  in  the  fall,  after  Thanks- 
giving, and  the  trees  were  bare  of  leaves,  and  shook 
and  rattled  their  bare  branches  in  the  gusts  of  wind 
that  came  out  of  the  east. 

He  sat  down  on  an  old  rotting  shell  of  a  dugout 
by  the  bank,  watching  the  cold,  grey  current,  for  the 
river  wais  high  after  many  days  of  fall  rains.  It  was 
a  dreary,  but  imposing  scene,  the  wide,  swollen  river, 
the  wooded  banks  and  hills  beyond,  and  back  of  him, 
high  rocky  mountains,  partly  covered  with  scrubby 
growth  and  dead  pines. 

Finally,  in  response  to  frequent  calling,  he  could 
see  the  boat  launched;  it  looked  like  a  black  speck 
at  first,  and  gradually  drew  nearer  to  him  and  beached. 
The  boatman  was  a  tiny  man,  with  a  long  drooping 
mustache  and  goatee,  wearing  a  Grand  Army  button; 


68  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

he  was  pleasant,  but  inquisitive,  though  he  "allowed" 
Tatnall  could  have  no  other  business  than  to  be  a 
"drummer"  bound  for  the  crossroads  store  on  the  op- 
posite bank. 

Tatnall  had  remembered  a  small,  dingy  store  in 
a  hamlet,  about  half  mile  from  the  little  cemetery;  he 
had  intended  going  there  as  he  wanted  information 
concerning  the  families  who  were  buried  there.  Per- 
haps he  could  learn  all  he  wanted  to  know  from  the 
riverman,  and  save  the  walk  down  the  track  to  the 
store,  but  for  some  reason  held  his  tongue. 

The  boatman's  final  remark  was  that  it  was  strange 
for  anyone  to  be  willing  to  pay  a  dollar  to  be  ferried 
across  the  river,  when  most  people  walked  the  rail- 
road bridge.  It  was  trespassing  on  railroad  property, 
and  dangerous  to  do  it,  but  it  was  worth  the  risk, 
man)'  travelers  thought. 

Arriving  safely  across  the  roily  current,  Tatnall 
paid  and  thanked  the  boatman,  and  started  in  the  di- 
rection of  the  little  country  store.  In  front  of  the  store 
was  a  row  of  mature  Ailanthus  trees,  which  seemed 
like  sturdy  guards  over  the  old  stone  structure, 
which  had  once  been  a  tavern  stand.  The  porch  was 
filled  with  packing  cases  and  barrels. 

As  Tatnall  opened  the  door,  he  could  see  a  num- 
ber of  habitues  seated  about  on  crates  and  barrels. 
One  of  them,  a  white  bearded  Civil  War  Veteran, 
rose  up,  leaning  heavily  on  his  cane,  and  bid  the 
stranger  welcome.  Almost  before  he  had  a  chance 
to  engage  in  conversation  with  the  regulars,  he  glanced 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  69 

behind  the  counter,  where  he  beheld  a  young  woman, 
who  had  just  emerged  from  an  inner  apartment  be- 
hind the  store  room. 

In  the  dim  half-light,  the  dark  aquiline  face  and 
meagre  figure  seemed  strangely  familiar.  She  was 
more  Oriental  than  Indian  in  type,  with  that  curly 
hair  and  wonderful  nose,  those  thin  lips,  and  com- 
plexion, the  deep  pink  tone  of  a  wild  pigeon's  breast. 
Where  had  they  met  before  ?  For  a  moment  his  mind 
refused  to  correlate,  then  like  a  flash,  he  realized  that 
she  was  the  counterpart  of  the  girl  in  grey  who 
haunted  the  little  disused  cemetery  so  regularly.  And 
the  way  she  looked  at  him  was  as  if  they  had  seen 
one  another  before;  on  her  face  was  a  look  of  mild 
surprise. 

Addressing  some  pleasantries  to  her,  they  were 
soon  engaged  in  conversation,  as  if  they  had  known 
each  other  for  years.  It  was  getting  late,  time  to  light 
lamps  and  fires  ait  home,  so  the  long-winded  disserta- 
tions of  the  habitues  were  left  off,  to  be  continued 
after  supper.  One  by  one  they  filed  out  of  the  store; 
if  they  had  any  opinion  of  the  stranger  conversing 
with  Elma  Hacker,  the  store-keeper's  niece,  it  was 
that  he  was  probably  some  traveling  man,  "talking 
up"  his  line  of  goods. 

When  the  last  one  had  gone,  and  the  acquaint- 
ance had  progressed  far  enough,  Tatnall,  leaning  over 
the  counter,  confided  bravely  the  purpose  of  his  visit 
to  the  remote  neighborhood.  For  five  years  he  had 
been  seeing  a  figure  in  grey,  in  the  late  afternoons, 


70  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

while  passing  by  the  little  graveyard  in  the  western 
express.  No  one  else  could  see  it,  yet  he  was  certain 
that  his  senses  were  not  deceiving  him.  Did  she 
know  anything  of  this,  and  could  she  help  him  fathom 
the  mystery? 

The  dark  girl  dropped  her  eyes  and  was  silent 
for  a  moment.  She  was  hesitating  as  to  whether  to 
disclaim  all  knowledge,  or  to  be  frank  and  divulge  a 
story  Which  concerned  her  soul. 

"Yes,  I  do  know  all  about  it,  how  very  funny! 
I,  too,  have  had  the  power  of  seeing  that  figure  in 
grey,  though  very  few  others  have  ever  been  able  to, 
and  many's  the  time  I've  been  called  crazy  when  I 
mentioned  it.  'The  girl  in  grey,'  as  you  call  her, 
strangely  enough  was  an  ancestress  of  mine,  or  rather 
belonged  to  my  father's  family,  and  while  I  have  the 
same  name,  Elma  Hacker,  I  don't  know  whether  I 
was  named  for  her  or  not,  as  my  parents  died  when 
I  was  a  little  girl. 

"It  used  to  make  me  feel  terrible  When  I  was  a 
little  girl  and  told  about  seeing  the  figure.  I  hated 
to  be  regarded  as  untruthful  or  'dullness,'  but  at  last 
my  uncle,  hearing  of  it,  came  to  the  rescue  and  told 
me  not  to  mind  what  anyone  said,  that,  from  the  de- 
scription, he  was  sure  I  had  seen  the  ghost.  He  had 
never  had  the  power  to  see  her,  but  his  father,  my 
grandfather  had,  and  other  members  of  the  family. 

"It  was  a  sad  and  curious  story.  It  all  happen- 
ed in  the  days  of  the  very  first  white  settlers  in  these 
mountains,  when  my  ancestors  kept  the  first  stopping 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  71 

place  for  travellers,  a  stone  fortress-like  house,  in 
Black  Wolf  Gap;  the  rains  of  the  foundations  are 
still  visible,  and  folks  call  it  'The  Indian  Fort.'  The 
Hackers  were  friendly  with  the  Indians,  who  often 
came  for  square  meals,  and  other  favors  from  the 
genial  pioneer  landlord  and  his  wife.  The  Elma 
Hacker  of  those  days  had  a  sweeaheart  who  lived! 
alone  on  the  other  side  of  the  Gap;  his  name  was 
Ammon  Quicksall,  and  from  all  accounts,  he  was  a; 
fine,  manly  fellow,  a  great  hunter  and  fighter. 

"He  would  often  drop  in  on  his  beloved  on  his 
way  home  from  his  hunting  trips,  at  all  hours  of  the 
day.  One  one  occasion  four  Indians  appeared  at 
the  tavern,  intimating  that  they  were  hungry,  as  In- 
dians generally  were.  Elma  carried  a  pewter  dish 
containing  all  the  viands  the  house  afforded  to  each, 
which  they  sat  eating  on  a  long  bench  outside  the 
door. 

"One  of  the  Indians  was  a  peculiar,  half-witted 
young  wretch  who  went  by  the  name  of  Chansops 
He  came  to  the  public  house  quite  often,  being  sus- 
pected of  having  a  fondness  for  Elma  and  for  hard 
cider.  She  always  treated  him  pleasantly,  but  kept 
him  at  a  distance,  and  never  felt  fear  of  any  kind  in 
his  presence.  No  doubt  his  feelings  were  of  a  vol- 
canic order,  and  under  his  stoical  exterior  burned  a 
consuming  passion.  He  was  munching  his  lunch,  ap- 
parently most  interested  in  his  food,  when  Ammon 
Quicksall  and  his  hunting  dogs  hove  in  sight. 

"Their  barking  and  yelping  were  a  signal  to  Klma, 


72  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

who  rushed  out  of  the  house  to  greet  her  lover,  per- 
haps showing  her  feelings  a  trifle  too  much;  though 
she  had  no  reason  to  imagine  she  should  restrain 
herself  in  the  presence  of  the  Indians.  All  the  while 
Chansops  was  eyeing  her  with  gathering  rage  and 
fury.  When  Elma  took  her  lover's  arm — she  must 
have  been  a  very  impulsive  girl — and  rested  her  head 
against  his  shoulder,  it  was  too  much  for  the  irate 
Indian. 

"He  jumped  up,  firing  his  pewter  dish  into  the 
creek  which  flowed  near  the  house,  and  danced  up 
and  down  in  sheer  fury.  His  companions  tried  hard 
to  calm  him,  as  they  wanted  to  keep  on  good  terms 
with  the  inkeeper's  family,  but  he  was  beyond  all 
control.  Quicksall  and  Elma  were  walking  on  the 
path  which  led  along  the  creek;  their  backs  were 
turned,  and  they  little  dreamed  of  the  drama  being 
enacted  behind  them.  The  other  Indians,  realizing 
that  Chansops  meant  trouble,  lay  hold  of  him,  but 
he  wrenched  himself  free  with  a  superhuman  strength, 
threatening  to  kill  anyone  who  laid  hands  on  him 
again. 

"Old  Adam  Hacker,  Elma's  father,  finally  heard 
the  commotion  and  came  out,  and  asked  in  Dutch 
what  the  trouble  was  all  about.  One  of  the  Indians, 
the  oldest  and  most  sensible,  replied  that  it  was  only 
Chansops  having  a  jealous  fit  because  he  saw  Elma 
walking  off  with  Quicksall.  While  these  words  were 
being  said,  Chansops  was  edging  further  away,  and 
looking  around  furtively,  saw  that  he  had  a  chance  to 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  73 

get  away,  and  sprang  after  the  retreating  couple. 
Bounding  like  a  deer,  he  was  a  few  paces  behind 
Quicksall  in  a  twinkling  of  an  eye.  He  had  a  heavy 
old  flint-lock  pistol  with  him,  which  he  drew  and  fired 
point  blank  into  the  young  lover's  back  at  two  or  three 
paces.  With  a  groan,  Quicksall  sank  down  on  the 
ground,  dying  before  Elma  could  comfort  him. 

"Before  Adam  Hacker  or  the  friendly  Indians 
could  reach  the  scene  of  the  horrid  tragedy,  Chansops 
had  escaped  into  the  forests,  followed  by  Quicksall's 
hounds  yelping  at  his  heels.  He  was  seen  no  more. 
The  dogs,  tired  and  dejected,  re- appeared  the  next 
day ;  evidently  they  had  been  cutraced  by  the  fleet 
Indian  runner. 

"It  was  a  blow  from  which  the  bereaved  girl 
could  not  react.  She  was  brave  enough  at  the  time, 
but  she  was  never  the  same  again.  She  gradually 
pined  away,  until  she  was  a'bout  my  age,  she  died, 
and  was  buried  not  in  the  little  graveyard,  but  in  her 
father's  yard.  That  was  done  because  it  was  feared 
that  the  crazy  Chansops  might  return  and  dig  up  her 
body,  and  carry  it  away  to  his  lodge  in  the  heart  of 
the  forest.  Quicksall  was  buried  in  the  pioneer  cemi- 
etery,  and  that  is  the  place  where  Elma  Hacker  of 
those  days  evidently  frequents,  trying  to  be  near  her 
sweetheart's  last  resting  place,  and  to  reason  out  the 
tragedy  of  her  unfulfilled  existence. 

"It  is  a  very  strange  story,  but  odder  still,  to  me, 
that  you,  a  stranger,  should  have  seen  the  apparition 


74  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

so  frequently,  when  others  do  not,  and  been  interested 
enough  to  have  come  here  to  unravel  the  mystery." 

"It  is  a  strange  story,"  said  Tatnall,  after  a  pause. 
He  was  figuring  out  just  what  he  could  say,  and  not 
say  too  much.  "The  strangest  part  is  that  the  figure 
I  have  been  seeing  is  the  image  of  yourself,  bears 
the  same  name,  and  my  name,  Ammon  Tatnall,  has 
a  somewhat  similar  sound,  in  fact  is  cousin-german 
to  'Ammon  Quicksall.'  " 

In  the  gloom  Elma  Hacker  hung  her  pretty  head 
still  further.  She  was  glad  that  there  was  no  light 
as  she  did  not  want  Tatnall  to  see  the  hot  purple 
flush  which  she  felt  was  suffusing  her  dark  cheeks. 

"The  minute  I  came  into  the  store,"  Tatnall  con- 
tinued, "you  looked  familiar;  it  did  not  take  me  a 
minute  to  identify  you  as  the  grey  lady." 

"And  you,"  broke  in  Elma,  "appear  just  as  I  al- 
ways supposed  Ammon  Quicksall  looked." 

How  much  more  intimate  the  talk  would  have  be- 
come, there  is  no  telling,  but  just  then  the  door  was 
swung  open,  and  in  came  old  Mrs.  Becker,  a  neigh- 
bor woman,  to  buy  some  bread. 

"You  must  be  getting  moonstruck,  Elma,"  she 
said,  "to  be  here  and  not  light  the  lamps.  Why,  it  is 
as  dark  as  Egypt  in  this  room,  and  you  were  always 
so  prompt  to  light  them." 

Elma  bestirred  herself  to  find  the  matches,  and 
soon  the  swinging  lamps  were  lit,  and  the  store  aglow. 

Again   the  door  was   thrown  open,   and   Elma's 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  75 

uncle  came  in.  He  was  Adam  Hacker,  namesake  of 
the  old-time  landlord,  and  proprietor  of  the  store. 
Mrs.  Becker  got  her  bread  and  departed,  and  Elma 
introduced  Tatnall  to  the  storekeeper.  Soon  she  ex- 
plained to  him  the  stranger's  business,  to  which  the 
uncle  listened  sympathetically.  At  the  conclusion  he 
said: 

"It  is  really  curious,  after  all  these  years,  to  have 
an  Adam  Hacker,  an  Elma  Hacker  and  an  Ammon 
Tatnall — almost  Quicksall — here  together;  if  Chan- 
sops  was  here  it  would  be  as  if  the  past  had  risen 
again." 

"Let  us  hope  there'll  be  no  Chansops  this  time," 
said  Tatnall.  "Let  us  feel  that  everything  that  was 
unfulfilled  and  went  wrong  in  those  old  days  is  to  be 
righted  now." 

It  was  a  bold  statement,  but  somehow  it  went 
unchallenged. 

"I  believe  in  destiny,  the  destiny  of  wayside  cem- 
eteries, of  chance  and  opportunity,"  he  resumed.  "It 
can  be  the  only  road  to  true  happiness  after  all." 

"How  happy  we'd  all  be,"  said  Elma  demurely, 
"if  through  all  this  we  could  only  lay  the  ghost  of  my 
poor  ancestress,  the  grey  lady." 

"Nothing  that  is  started  is  ever  left  unfinished," 
answered  Tatuall.  "And  we  of  this  generation  be- 
come unconscious  actors  in  the  final  scenes  of  a  drama 
that  began  a  couple  of  centuries  ago.  In  that  way 
the  cycle  of  existence  is  carried  out  harmoniously, 
else  this  world  could  not  go  on  if  it  was  merely  a 


76  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

jumble  of  odds  and  ends,  and  starts  without  finishes ; 
as  it  is,  everything  that  is  good,  that  is  worthwhile, 
sometimes  comes  to  a  rounded  out  and  completed  ful- 
fillment." 

The  moon,  which  had  come  out  clear,  was  three 
parts  full,  and  shed  a  glowing  radiance  over  the  rug- 
ged landscape.  After  supper  Ammon  and  Elma  stroll- 
ed out  along  the  white,  moon-bathe :l  road.  Coming 
to  a  cornfield  the  girl  pointed  to  a  great  white  oak 
with  a  plume-like  crest  which  stood  on  a  knoll,  fac- 
ing the  valley,  the  river,  and  the  hills  beyond;  they 
climbed  the  high  rail  fence,  and  slipping  along  quiet- 
ly, seated  themselves  beneath  the  giant  tree.  Of  the 
many  chapters  of  human  life  and  destiny  enacted  be- 
neath the  oak's  spreading  branches,  none  was  strang- 
er than  this  one.  There  until  the  flaming  orb  had 
commenced  to  wane  in  the  west,  they  sat,  perfectly 
content.  "Oh,  how  I  like  to  rest  on  the  earth,"  said 
she.  "How  I  love  to  be  here,  and  look  at  your  won- 
derful face,"  he  whispered,  as  he  stroked  the  perfect 
lines  of  her  nose,  lips,  chin  and  throat. 


VI. 

The  Holly  Tree 

IT  was  while  on  a  mountain  climbing  trip  in  the 
French  Alps,  when  stormstayed  at  a  small  inn 
at  Grenoble,  that  a  chance  acquaintance  showed 
The  Viscount  Adare  a  copy  of  "The  Travels  of  Thom- 
as Ashe,"  a  book  which  had  recently  appeared  in 
London  and  created  a  sensation  in  the  tourist  world. 
The  Viscount  had  already  perused  "Travels  Beyond 
the  Alleghenies,"  by  the  younger  Michaux,  but  the 
volume  by  Ashe,  so  full  of  human  interest,  more  than 
sharpened  his  old  desire  to  travel  in  the  United 
States,  now  that  a  stable  peace  between  the  young 
republic  and  the  Mother  Country  was  a  matter  of 
some  years  standing. 

The  mountains,  as  described  by  both  Michaux 
and  Ashe,  seemed  stupendous  and  inspiring,  wild 
game  and  mighty  forests  were  everywhere,  and  a 
glimpse  might  be  caught  of  the  vanishing  redmen, 
without  journeying  as  far  west  as  the  Mississippi 
River. 

Thomas  Ashe  excelled  in  descriptions  of  the  life 
along  the  mountain  highways,  though  nothing  could 
be  more  vivid  than  Michaux's  pen  picture  of  his  feast 
on  venison  cooked  on  the  coals  on  the  hearth  at  Stat- 
ler's  stone  tavern  on  the  Allegheny  summits,  near 
Buckstown.    This  ancient  hostelry  is,  by  the  way,  still 

77 


78  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

standing,  though  misnamed  "The  Shot  Factory,"  by 
modern  chroniclers,  much  to  the  disgust  of  the  ac- 
curate historian  of  Somerset  County,  George  W. 
Grove. 

All  during  his  trip  among  the  Alps  of  Savoy,  and 
Dauphiny,  The  Viscount  Adare  was  planning  the  ex- 
cursion to  Pennsylvania.  His  love  of  wild  scenery 
was  one  compelling  reason,  but  perhaps  another  was 
Ashe's  description  of  his  meeting  and  brief  romance 
with  the  beautiful  Eleanor  Ancketell,  daughter  of  the 
innkeeper  on  the  Broad  Mountain,  above  Upper 
Strasburg,  Franklin  County. 

It  was  well  along  in  August,  the  twenty-first  to 
be  exact,  when  Ashe's  book  was  first  shown  to  him, 
therefore  it  seemed  impracticable  to  make  the  jour- 
ney that  year,  but  the  time  would  soon  roll  around, 
and  be  an  ideal  outing  for  the  ensuing  summer.  From 
the  time  of  his  return  to  London,  until  almost  the  date 
set  for  the  departure,  The  Viscount  Adare  busied 
himself  reading  every  'book  of  American  travel  and 
adventure  that  he  could  lay  his  hands  on,  besides  ac- 
cumulating a  vast  outfit  to  take  along,  although  the 
trip  was  to  be  on  foot,  and  without  even  a  guide. 

Needless  to  say,  with  such  an  interesting  object- 
ive, the  year  passed  very  rapidly,  not  that  The  Vis- 
count had  no  other  interests,  for  he  had  many,  being 
a  keen  sportsman  and  scientist,  as  well  as  a  lover  of 
books,  paintings  and  the  drama. 

It  was  on  the  twenty-third  of  August,  a  little 
over  a  year  after  his  first  acquaintance  with  the  writ- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  79 

ings  of  Ashe,  that  The  Viscount  embarked  for  Phil- 
adelphia, on  the  fast  sailing  ship  "Ocean  Queen." 
Very  few  Englishmen  went  to  America  for  pleasure 
in  those  days  as  the  sting  of  the  Revolution  was  still 
a  thorn  in  their  sides.  Many  Britishers  did  go,  but 
they  were  mostly  of  the  commoner  sort,  immigrants, 
not  tourists. 

The  Viscount  Adare,  even  before  sailing,  had  his 
itinerary  pretty  well  mapped  out.  He  would  tarry  a 
week  in  Philadelphia  to  get  rid  of  his  "sea  legs,"  then 
proceed  by  carriage  to  Louisbourg,  then  beginning  to 
be  called  Harrisburg,  and  go  from  there  to  Carlisle, 
Shippensburg,  and  Upper  Strasburg,  at  which  last 
named  place  he  would  abandon  his  conveyance,  and 
with  pack  on  back,  in  true  Alpine  fashion,  start  over- 
land, traversing  the  same  general  direction  of  Mich- 
aux  and  Ashe  towards  Pittsburg.  At  Pittslburg  he 
planned  to  board  a  flat  boat  and  descend  the  Ohio, 
thence  into  the  Mississippi,  proceeding  to  New  Or- 
leans, at  which  city  he  could  set  sail  for  England. 

It  was  an  ambitious  trip  for  a  solitary  traveler, 
but  as  he  was  known  by  his  Alpinist  friends  as  "The 
Guideless  Wonder,"  some  indication  may  be  divined 
of  his  resourcefulness. 

The  journey  across  the  Atlantic  was  interesting. 
A  school  of  whales  played  about  the  ship,  coming  so 
close  as  to  create  the  fear  that  they  would  overturn  it. 
The  Captain,  a  shrewd  Irishman,  was  not  to  be  daunt- 
ed, so  he  ordered  a  number  of  huge  barrels  or  casks 
thrown  overboard,    which    immediately  diverted    the 


80  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

attention  of  the  saurians,  with  the  result  that  a  smart 
breeze  coming  up,  they  were  left  far  astern. 

A  boat,  said  to  be  a  pirate,  was  sighted  against 
the  horizon,  but  fortunately  made  no  attempt  to  come 
close,  heading  away  towards  the  Summer  Islands, 
where,  say  the  older  generation  of  mountain  folks, 
arise  all  the  warm  south  breezes  that  often  temper 
wintry  or  early  spring  days  in  the  Pennsylvania  High- 
lands, with  blue  sky  and  fleecy  clouds. 

The  Viscount  Adare  was  pleased  with  these  tri- 
fling adventures,  and  more  so  with  ocean  travel,  as 
it  was  his  first  long  sea  voyage,  though  he  had  cross- 
ed the  Channel  and  the  Irish  Sea  scores  of  times. 

He  debarked  in  Philadelphia  after  a  voyage  last- 
ing nearly  six  weeks,  consequently  the  green  foliage 
of  England  was  replaced  by  the  vivid  tints  of  Au- 
tumn on  the  trees  which  grew  in  front  of  the  rows 
of  brick  houses  near  the  Front  Street  Landing  Wharf. 
He  had  letters  to  the  British  Consul,  who  was  anxious 
to  arrange  a  week  or  two  of  social  activity  for  the 
distinguished  traveler,  but  The  Viscount  assured  him 
that  he  must  be  on  his  way. 

The  ride  in  public  coaches  to  Lancaster  and  Har- 
risburg  was  accomplished  without  incident.  His  fel- 
low travelers  were  anxious  to  point  out  the  various 
places  of  interest,  the  fine  corn  crops,  livestock  and 
farm  buildings,  but  the  Englishman  was  so  anxious  to 
get  to  the  wilds  that  this  interlude  only  filled  him  with 
impatience. 

He  was  impressed  not  a  little  by  the  battlefields 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  81 

of  Paoli  and  Brandywine,  but  most  of  all  by  the  grove 
where  the  harmless  Conestoga  Indians  were  encamp- 
ed when  surprised  and  massacred  by  the  brutal  Pax- 
tang  Boys.  The  word  "Indians"  thrilled  him,  and 
whetted  his  curiosity,  which  was  somewhat  appeased 
on  his  arrival  at  Harrisburg  by  the  sight  of  five  In- 
dians in  full  regalia,  lying  on  the  grass  under  John 
Harris'  Mulberry  Tree,  waiting  to  'be  ferried  across 
the  river. 

He  tarried  only  one  night  at  Harrisburg,  then 
hiring  a  private  conveyance,  started  down  the  Cun> 
berland  Valley,  where  he  most  admired  the  many 
groves  of  tall  hardwoods — resting  at  Carlisle  and 
Shippensburg — as  originally  planned.  At  Carlisle,  he 
was  waited  on  at  his  inn  by  a  German  woman,  who 
explained  to  him  that  she  was  none  other  than  "Molly 
Pitcher,"  or  Molly  Ludwig,  the  intrepid  heroine  of  the 
Battle  of  Monmouth. 

It  was  on  a  bright  autumnal  morning  that,  with 
pack  on  back,  and  staff  in  hand,  he  started  for  the 
heights  of  Cove  Mountain,  towards  the  west  country. 
On  the  way  he  passed  a  small  roadside  tavern,  in 
front  of  which  a  few  years  before  had  played  a  lit- 
tle yellow-haired  boy,  with  a  turkey  bell  suspended 
around  his  neck  so  that  he  could  not  get  lost.  The 
German  drovers  who  lolled  in  front  of  the  hostelry 
were  fond  of  teasing  the  lad,  calling  him  "'Jimmy  mit 
the  bells  on,"  much  to  the  youngster's  displeasure. 
His  mother  was  a  woman  of  some  intellectual  at- 
tainments,  and   occasionally   would   edify   the   society 


82  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

folk  of  Mercersburg  by  reciting  the  whole  of  Milton's 
"Paradise  Lost." 

In  time  this  boy  became  known  as  James  Buchan- 
an, the  only  Pennsylvanian  to  occupy  the  Presidential 
chair. 

There  were  many  taverns  along  the  road,  con- 
sidering the  wildness  of  the  country,  and  The  Vis- 
count thought  how  much  history  and  tradition  was 
being  made  about  their  inglenooks  and  home-garths, 
The  forests  of  chestnuts,  yellow  pine  and  rock  oak, 
the  grand  scenery  of  distant  valleys  and  coves,  in- 
terested him  more,  and  the  occasional  meetings  with 
the  mountain  people  along  the  way,  whom  he  enjoyed 
conversing  with,  a'bout  the  local  folk-lore,  game  and 
Indians.  On  many  of  the  log  barns  and  sheds  were 
nailed  bear  paws,  deer  horns  and  wolf  hides,  and  the 
hieroglyphics  and  signs,  to  ward  off  witches,  were 
keenly  interesting  to  his  inquiring  gaze. 

It  was  amazing  how  the  road  wound  in  serpen- 
tine fashion  among  the  mountains ;  the  distance  could 
have  been  much  shortened,  he  thought. 

One  morning  a  backwoodsman  with  a  'black  beard 
that  hung  almost  to  his  feet,  explained  to  him  the 
"short  cuts,"  or  paths  that  went  down  the  steep  slopes 
of  the  mountains,  lessening  the  distance  of  the  regu- 
lar roads  followed  by  the  packers  around  the  elbows 
of  the  mountain  ravines. 

The  Viscount  Adare  enjoyed  these  "short  cuts" 
hugely.  They  reminded  him  of  his  Alpining  days, 
and  they  led  him  right  through  the  forests,  under  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  83 

giant  oaks  and  pines  where  he  saw  many  unusual 
looking  birds,  such  as  Pileated  Woodpeckers  and  Car- 
olina Paraquets,  while  occasionally  a  Deer  or  Gray 
Fox  crossed  his  path.  He  had  reached  the  bottom  of 
a  ravine  where  a  stream  headed  at  a  big  spring,  while 
taking  one  of  these  "short  cuts,"  when  he  came  in 
sight  of  a  clearing  which  contained  a  corn  field,  a 
pasture  lot  or  commons,  a  log  house,  log  barn,  and 
a  smaller  log  cabin,  that  looked  like  a  smoke-house. 
Smoke  was  issuing  from  an  opening  in  the  roof  of 
the  tiny  structure,  which  might  have  passed  for  a 
child's  play  house,  modelled  after  the  larger  log 
dwelling.  As  he  neared  the  little  hut,  which  reminded 
him  of  ian  Alpine  baracq,  and  which  stood  close  to 
the  path,  the  door  opened  and  two  most  curious  look- 
ing figures  emerged.  In  old  England  he  had  seen 
sweeps,  but  these  were  more  grotesque  and  grimier 
than  any  he  could  recall.  As  he  drew  nearer,  he  per- 
ceived that  while  one  appeared  to  be  a  man,  the  other 
was  a  young  woman.  Both  were  entirely  unclad,  save 
that  the  woman's  locks  were  covered  by  a  homespun 
cap  of  the  tarn  o'shanttr  pattern.  Both  were  literally 
black,  from  head  to  foot. 

When  they  saw  the  traveler,  the  woman  ran  back 
into  the  cabin,  pulling  the  door  shut,  while  the  "Jim 
Crow"  man  waited  in  the  path  until  joined  by  the 
surpised  Viscount. 

"What  is  all  this,  my  good  man,"  he  queried, 
"been  cleaning  your  chimney  and  fallen  through  it 
into  a  barrel  of  tar?" 


84  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"Oh,  no,"  said  the  grimy  mountaineer,  smiling, 
his  teeth  looking  very  white  against  his  swarthy  vis- 
age. "My  business  is  to  make  lamp  black,  and  my 
friend  and  I  have  been  sweeping  down  the  walls,  col- 
lecting the  output  this  morning,  and  boxing  it,  and 
had  just  finished  when  you  appeared  in  sight." 

The  fellow  made  no  attempt  to  apologize  for  his 
outlandish  appearance,  but  stood  there  in  the  sunlight 
like  an  imp  of  darkness,  chatting  with  the  English- 
man. 

ofI  don't  want  to  keep  your  lady  friend  penned 
up  in  there  any  longer,"  said  The  Viscount,  as  he 
started  to  move  away. 

"Oh,  don't  go,"  said  the  maker  of  lamp  black, 
"I  don't  know  why  she  acts  that  way ;  stay  and  have 
dinner  with  us.  We  never  let  a  stranger  go  by  with- 
out furnishing  him  with  some  food." 

Ordinarily,  The  Viscount  Adare.  unconventional 
as  he  was,  would  have  scurried  away  from  such 
grimy  surroundings,  but  there  was  something  that 
appealed  to  him  about  the  lamp  black  maker's  lady, 
even  in  her  coat  of  ebony  grime,  that  made  him  de- 
cide to  tarry. 

"Thanks,  I  will  stay,"  he  replied,  "but  I'll  go  to 
the  barn  so  as  to  give  your  'friend,'  as  you  can  her, 
a  chance  to  come  out." 

"Don't  you  bother  to  do  that,"  said  the  black  man. 
"She  is  acting  foolish  today;  don't  give  her  the  sat- 
isfaction to  move  a  step.  She  never  minded  showing 
herself  to  anybody  before." 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  85 

These  last  words  were  secretly  pleasing  to  the 
Viscount,  as  it  showed  that  the  young  woman  rec- 
ognized in  him  a  person  of  superior  sensibilities,  but 
he  hurried  to  the  barn  until  he  knew  that  she  had 
been  given  time  to  escape  to  the  house.  But  he  could 
not  help  hearing  the  lamp  black  maker  loudly  chid- 
ing her  for  modesty,  a  trait  she  had  never  displayed 
previously.  Pretty  soon  he  saw  the  fellow  making 
trips  to  the  spring,  carrying  water  buckets  into  the 
house.  The  Viscount  sat  on  the  doorstep  of  the  barn, 
watching  the  j uncos  flying  about  among  the  savin 
bushes  in  the  clearing,  or  his  eyes  feasting  on  the  cor- 
nelian red  foliage  of  the  sassafras  trees  on  the  hill, 
inwardly  speculating  if  with  her  black  disguise  wash- 
ed off,  the  young  woman,  whose  higher  nature  he 
had  aroused,  would  be  as  good  looking  as  he  imag- 
ined her  to  be.  He  made  a  mental  picture  of  her  love- 
liness, ranking  her  close  beside  that  of  high  bred  beau- 
ties of  his  own  land,  of  the  types  depicted  by  Rom- 
ney,  Kneller  and  Lely. 

It  was  not  long  before  he  saw  her  emerge  from 
the  house,  all  washed  and  scrubbed,  with  her  hair 
neatly  combed,  clad  in  a  spick  and  span  '"butternut" 
frock.  As  she  came  towards  him,  he  noted  that  she 
was  a  trifle  above  the  average  height,  and  her  feet, 
despite  the  rough  brogans  she  wore,  were  very  small. 
He  saw,  to  his  amazement,  that  she  was  the  counter- 
part of  his  mental  picture,  only  more  radiantly  love- 
ly. When  she  drew  near,  she  asked  him,  her  face 
lighting  up  very  prettily,  as  she  spoke,  if  he  would 


86  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

like  to  come  to  the  house  to  rest,  that  she  would  soon 
prepare  dinner,  and  hoped  that  he  would  not  be  too 
critical  of  her  humble  efforts  as  a  cook. 

Her  eyes  seldom  met  his,  but  he  could  see  that 
they  were  large  and  grey-brown,  with  delicately  pen- 
ciled black  brows,  and  black  lashes.  Her  face  was 
rather  long  and  sallow,  or  rather  of  a  pinkish  pallor. 
Her  hair  was  cameo  brown,  her  nose  long  and 
straight,  the  lines  of  her  mouth  delicate  and  refined, 
with  lips  unusually  thin.  He  had  noticed,  as  she  came 
•towards  him,  that  her  slender  form  swayed  a  little 
forward  as  she  walked,  reminding  him  of  the  mythi- 
cal maiden  Syrinx,  daughter  of  the  River  God,  whom 
the  jealous-hearted  Pan  changed  into  a  reed. 

The  Viscount  Adare  was  far  more  disconcerted 
than  his  hostess,  as  he  followed  her  to  the  log  house. 
Just  as  ithey  approached  the  door  she  whispered,  ""I 
hope  that  you  will  forgive  the  awful  exhibition  I  made 
of  myself." 

Indoors  she  sat  down  on  one  of  the  courting 
blocks  by  the  great  open  hearth,  where  pots  of  various 
sizes  hung  from  the  cranes.  The  man,  who  was  still 
trying  to  get  the  lamp  black  out  of  his  curly  hair  and 
beard,  was  only  partially  dressed,  and  looked  all  the 
world  like  pictures  of  the  lascivious  Lupercalian  Pan 
himself. 

The  Englishman  felt  strangely  at  ease  in  the 
cabin,  watching  the  slender,  reed-like  girl  prepare  the 
meal,  and  enjoyed  the  dinner  with  his  hum!ble  enter- 
tainers. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  87 

Shortly  after  the  repast  another  bearded  back- 
woodsman appeared  at  the  door.  The  lamp  black 
maker  had  an  appointment  to  go  with  him  to  some 
distant  parts  of  the  Shade  Mountains  to  examine 
bear  pens,  and  asked  to  be  excused.  He  would  not  be 
back  until  the  next  day;  it  was  nothing  unusual  for 
him  to  leave  his  friend  alone  for  a  week  at  a  time  on 
similar  excursions. 

The  Viscount  was  in  no  hurry  to  go,  as  never 
had  a  woman  appealed  to  him  as  did  the  lamp  black 
maker's  young  assistant.  Perhaps  it  was  the  uncon- 
ventional character  of  their  first  meeting  that  shocked 
his  love  into  being;  at  any  rate  he  was  severely  smit- 
ten; probably  John  Rolfe  was  no  more  so,  on  his  first 
glimpse  of  the  humane  Pocohontas. 

After  the  two  hunters  had  gone,  the  young  wo- 
man sat  down  on  the  other  courting  block,  on  the  op- 
posite of  the  inglenook,  and  The  Viscount  decided 
to  ask  her  to  tell  him  the  story  of  her  life.  She  col- 
ored a  trifle,  saying  that  no  one  had  ever  been  inter- 
ested in  her  life's  history  before,  therefore,  she  might 
not  repeat  it  very  well. 

She  had  been  born  at  sea,  of  parents  coming  from 
the  northern  part  of  Ireland.  They  had  settled  first 
in  the  Cumberland  Valley,  then,  when  she  was  about 
a  dozen  years  old,  decided  to  migrate  to  Kentucky. 
They  had  not  gotten  much  further  than  the  covered 
bridge  across  the  Little  Juniata,  when  they  were  am- 
bushed by  robbers,  and  all  the  adult  members  of  the 
party,  her  parents  and  an   uncle,   were   slain.     The 


88  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

children  were  carried  off,  ibeing  apportioned  among 
the  highwaymen.  She  fell  to  thef  lot  of  the  leader 
of  the  band,  Conrad  Jacobs,  who  took  more  than  a 
fatherly  interest  in  her. 

He  was  a  middle-aged  married  man,  but  he  open- 
ly said  that  when  the  girl  was  big  enough,  he  would 
chase  his  wife  away  and  install  her  in  her  place.  But 
she  was  kindly  treated  by  the  strange  people,  even 
more  so  than  at  home,  for  her  mother  had  been  very 
severe  and  unreasonable. 

When  she  was  fifteen  she  saw  signs  that  the  out- 
law was  going  to  put  his  plan  into  effect — to  drive 
his  wife  out  into  the  forest,  like  an  old  horse — and 
probably  would  have  done  so,  but  for  Simon  Super- 
saxo,  the  lamp  black  man,  who  came  to  the  highway- 
man's shanty  frequently  on  his  hunting  trips. 

The  robber  became  jealous  of  the  young  Nimrod 
and  threatened  to  shoot  him  if  he  came  near  the 
premises  again.  A  threat  was  as  good  as  a  promise 
with  such  people,  so  Supersaxo  was  ready  to  kill  or 
be  killed  on  sight. 

He  met  the  highwayman  one  evening  in  front  of 
McCormick's  Tavern,  and  drawing  the  bead,  shot 
him  dead.  He  was  not  arrested,  but  feted  by  all  the 
innkeepers  for  ridding  the  mountains  of  a  dangerous 
deterrent  to  travel,  while  she,  her  name  was  Deborah 
Conner,  went  to  help  keep  house  for  him,  along  with 
the  outlaw's  widow,  but  in  reality  to  help  make  lamp 
black. 

That  was  four  years  before.     Since  old  Mother 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  89 

Jacobs  had  died  and  Deborah,  now  nineteen  years 
of  age,  was  being  importuned  by  Supersaxo  to  marry 
him. 

Previous  to  the  Englishman's  coming  that  morn- 
ing, she  had  never  felt  any  shame  at  working  in  the 
lamp  black  hut  with  her  employer,  or  appearing  be- 
fore passers-by  unclad,  but  now  a  great  light  had 
come  to  her;  she  was  free  to  confess  that  she  was 
changed  and  humiliated. 

The  Viscount  looked  her  over  and  over,  and  far 
into  those  wonderful  stone  grey  eyes  that  mirrored 
a  refined  soul  lost  in  the  wilderness.  Then  he  made 
bold  to  speak: 

"Deborah",  he  said,  "since  you  have  been  so  frank 
with  me  in  telling  the  story  of  your  life,  I  will  free- 
ly confess  to  you  that  I  loved  you  the  minute  my 
eyes  rested  on  you,  even  in  your  unbecoming  home- 
spun cap,  and  lamp  black  from  head  to  foot.  I 
realize  that  your  being  here  is  but  an  accident,  and 
my  coming  the  instrument  to  take  you  away.  I  will 
marry  you,  and  strive  always  to  make  you  happy, 
if  you  will  come  away  with  me,  and  I  will  take  you 
to  England  where,  among  people  of  refined  tastes, 
you  will  shine  and  always  be  at  peace." 

Deborah  opened  her  thin  delicate  mouth  in  sur- 
prise, and  her  eyes  became  like  grey  stars.  "Really, 
do  you  mean  that"  ?  she  said. 

"I  mean  every  word,"  replied  The  Viscount 
Adare. 

"I  know  that  I  feel  differently  towards  you  than 


90  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

any  man  I  have  seen,  so  I  must  love  you,  and  I  will 
always  be  happy  with  you,"  resumed  the  girl.  "And 
while  I  owe  Simon  Supersaxo  a  deep  debt  of  grati- 
tude for  saving  me  from  being  forced  into  marrying 
that  horrid  old  road-agent,  I  owe  myself  more,  and 
you  more  still.  I  will  go  with  you  whenever  you  are 
ready  to  take  me,  no  matter  what  my  conscience  will 
tell  me  later.  Though  I'll  say  to  you  honestly  that  I 
never  thought  there  was  any  life  for  me  further  than 
to  make  lamp  bladk,  until  you  came." 

She  explained  to  him  that  at  Christmastime  the 
lamp  black  man  always  went  with  ai  party  of  compan- 
ions on  a  great  elk  hunt  to  the  distant  Sinnemahoning 
Country,  and  if  The  Viscount  would  return  then,  she 
would  arrange  to  meet  him  at  a  certain  place  at  a 
certain  day  amd  hour,  and  go  away  with  him.  "There 
is  a  little  clearing  or  old  field  on  the  top  of  the  ridge, 
beyond  this  house,"  and  pointing  her  slender  white 
hand,  showed  to  him  through  the  open  door.  "Meet 
me  there  on  the  day  before  Christmas,  and  I  will  be 
free  to  go  away  with  you  rejoicing." 

The  balance  of  the  visit  was  passed  in  pleasant 
amity,  until  towards  nightfall,  when  The  Viscount 
shouldered  his  pack  and  seized  his  staff,  and  started 
away,  not  for  Pittsburg,  but  eastward  again.  De- 
borah, her  slender  reed-like  figure  swaying  in  the 
autumn  breeze,  walked  with  him  to  the  edge  of  the 
clearing.  She  kissed  him  goodbye  among  the  savin 
bushes,  and  he  kissed  her  many  times  in  return,  until 
they    parted    at    the    carnelian-leafed    sassafras    trees 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  91 

on  the  hill,  and  he  commenced  the  ascent  of  the 
steep  face  of  Chestnut  Ridge. 

The  trip  back  to  Philadelphia  was  taken  impa- 
tiently, but  with  a  different  kind  of  impatience;  he 
wanted  the  entire  intervening  time  obliterated,  until 
he  could  get  back  to  his  strange  exotic  mountain  love. 
In  Philadelphia  he  engaged  passage  for  England  the 
first  week  in  January,  and  wrote  letters  abroad  to 
complete  the  arrangements  for  taking  his  wife-to-be 
to  his  ancestral  home.  He  could  never  forget  the  last 
afternoon  in  the  Quaker  City.  Christmas  was  com- 
ing, and  the  spirit  of  this  glad  festival  was  in  the  air, 
even  more  so  than  in  "Merrie  England."  He  was 
walking  through  Chancellor  Street  when  he  came  up- 
on two  blind  Negro  Christmas-singers,  former  sail- 
ors, who  had  lost  their  sight  in  the  premature  explo- 
sion of  a  cannon  on  the  deck  of  a  frigate  on  the  Del- 
aware River  during  the  Revolutionary  War.  He 
stopped,  elegant  gentleman  that  he  was,  listened  en- 
raptured to  their  songs  of  simple  faith:  "Praise  God 
From  Whom  All  Blessings  Flow." 

"If  they  had  so  much  to  be  thankful  for,"  he 
mused,  "how  much  more  have  I,  with  lovely  Debor- 
ah only  a  few  days  in  the  future. 

Then  he  gave  them  each  five  shillings  and  moved 
on.  A  little  further  down  the  street,  he  met  an  old 
Negro  Woman  selling  sprigs  of  holly  with  bright 
red  berries.  He  bought  a  sprig.  "I'll  take  it  to  De- 
borah," he  said  to  himself. 

He  returned  to  Harrisburg  by  the  stage  coach, 


92  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

accompanied  by  a  Negro  body-servant  well  recom- 
mended by  the  British  Consul.  At  Harrisburg  he 
purchased  four  extra  good  horses.  With  these  and 
the  Negro  he  retraced  his  previous  journey.  He 
left  the  Negro  and  the  horses  at  McCormick's  Tav- 
ern, continuing  the  balance  of  the  journey  on  foot, 
his  precious  sprig  of  holly,  with  the  bright  red  ber- 
ries, fastened  on  the  top  of  his  staff,  that  had  often 
been  decked  with  the  edelweiss  and  the  Alpine  rose. 
Deborah  had  said  that  she  knew  all  the  mountain 
paths  back  to  McCormick's,  so  they  could  reach  there 
quickly,  and  be  mounted  on  fast  horses  almost  be- 
fore her  employer  missed  them. 

His  heart  was  beating  fast  as  he  neared  his 
trysting  place,  the  little  clearing  on  the  ridge,  the 
morning  before  Christmas.  Peering  through  the 
trees,  he  observed  that  Deborah  was  not  there,  but 
surely  she  would  soon  come,  the  sun  was  scarcely 
over  the  Chestnut  Ridge  to  the  east!  A  grey  fog 
hung  over  the  valley,  obscuring  the  little  cabin  in 
the  cove. 

He  waited  and  waited  all  day  long,  but  no  De- 
borah appeared.  He  walked  all  over  the  top  ot  the 
ridge  to  see  if  there  were  other  clearings,  lest  he  had 
gotten  to  the  wrong  one.  There  were  no  others,  just 
as  she  had  said.  Cold  beads  of  perspiration  stood 
out  on  his  forehead;  he  was  angry;  he  was  jealous; 
the  day  was  closing  bitterly  cold.  "The  woman  that 
I  want,  she  will  not  come." 

Finally  as  the  sun  was  going  down  behind  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  93 

western  summits  of  the  Alleghenies,  he  untied  the 
sprig  of  holly  from  the  end  of  his  mountain-staff, 
and  bending  over,  stuck  it  in  the  fast  freezing  earth, 
a  symbol  of  his  faithless  adventure,  and  started  down 
the  mountain,  straight  towards  Deborah  Supersaxo's 
cabin. 

At  the  foot  of  the  hill  he  met  her  coming  towards 
him — her  face  was  deadly  pale,  her  thin  lips  white 
as  death — instantly  his  hate  changed  to  tender  love 
again. 

"Kill  me  if  you  wish,"  she  cried  out  before  he 
had  time  to  speak,  and  held  out  her  arms  to  show  her 
non-resistance,  "for  I  have  been  unworthy.  I  broke 
my  faith  with  you,  and  was  not  going  to  come ;  I  re- 
pented at  leaving  Supersaxo,  who  had  been  so  good 
to  me  when  I  was  in  distress.  I  was  going  to  leave 
you  in  the  lurch.  Then,  then,"  and  here  tears  trickled 
down  her  ghastly  cheeks,  "I  was  sitting  on  the  court- 
ing log  by  the  fire,  commending  myself  for  my  loy- 
alty, when  a  few  minutes  ago  one  of  his  friends  came 
in  to  say  that  the  day  before  yesterday,  while  look- 
ing at  somebody's  bear  pen  near  the  Karoondinha,  it 
fell  in  on  him  and  broke  his  neck.  I  was  just  coming 
up  the  hill  to  tell  you,  if  you  were  still  waiting,  how 
wicked  I  had  been  to  you,  and  how  I  had  been  pun- 
ished. Kill  me  if  you  wish,  I  can  never  be  happy 
any  more." 

The  Viscount  Adare  did  not  hesitate  a  moment, 
but  flinging  down  his  staff,  he  rushed  to  the  girl  and 
caught  her  in  his  arms.     "Doubly  blessed  are  we  this 


94  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

night,  dear  Deborah,  for  there  is  now  no  impediment 
to  our  happiness ;  no  misdirected  sense  of  duty  can 
cast  a  shadow  on  the  joy  that  lies  before  us.  I  want 
you  now  more  than  ever  before,  after  this  final  trial, 
and  you  must  come  with  me !" 

"Never  say  must  again,"  said  Deborah,  sweetly, 
looking  up  into  his  eyes,  "I  am  your  willing  slave;  I 
will  go  with  you  to  the  ends  of  the  earth ;  I  want  to 
redeem  this  day  by  years  of  devotion,  years  ot  love." 

Picking  up  his  staff,  The  Viscount  Adare  and 
the  mountain  girl  resumed  their  journey,  past  the 
now  deserted  log  house  and  the  lamp  black  shack 
where  they  had  first  met,  up  the  steep  mountain,  and 
off  towards  McCormick's  Tavern,  near  where,  in  a 
deep  pine  grove,  the  Negro  body-servaint  would  be 
waiting  with  the  horses. 

That  is  all  that  has  been  recorded  in  the  moun- 
tains concerning  the  lamp  black  girl  and  The  Viscount 
Adare.  In  England  there  is  an  oil  painting  of  a 
certain  Viscountess  of  the  name  that  bears  a  striking 
resemblance  to  the  one  time  Deborah  Conner. 

Up  on  the  ridge,  in  the  little  clearing,  one  or 
more  of  the  seeds  of  the  sprig  of  holly  took  root,  and 
grew  a  fine  tree.  In  order  that  this  story  may  t>e 
localized,  it  is  said  that  this  is  one  of  the  points 
furthest  north  of  any  specimen  of  the  native  holly  in 
Pennsylvania.  In  time  it  died  off,  but  not  before 
other  scions  sprang  up,  and  there  has  always  been  a 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


95 


thrifty  holly  tree  on  the  hill,  as  if  to  commemorate  a 
lover's  tryst,  whose  heart  when  on  the  point  of  break- 
ing from  hideous  despair,  found  the  fullness  of  his 
happiness  suddenly,  and  whose  story  is  an  inspiration 
to  all  aching  hearts. 


VII. 

The  Second  Run  of  the  Sap 

THE  selective  draft,  according  to  Dr.  Jacobs,  a) 
very  intelligent  Seneca  Indian,  residing  on  the 
Cornplanter    Reservation    in    Warren    County, 
was   practiced  by   Pennsylvania   Indians   in  some  of 
their  earlier  conflicts,  notably  in  the  bloody  warfare 
in  the  Cherokee  country. 

In  the  war  against  the  Cherokees,  there  was  a 
popular  apathy  at  home,  as  it  was  not  undertaken  to 
repel  an  unjust  invasion,  but  for  the  purpose  of  ag- 
gression, after  the  murder  of  a  number  of  Chero- 
kees by  the  Lenape,  and  as  such  did  not  appeal  to 
the  just  and  patient  tribesmen  in  general. 

In  order  to  increase  the  invading  armies  beyond 
the  limits  of  the  volunteer  quotas  of  warriors  and. 
chiefs,  who  were  of  patrician  antecedents,  the  draft 
was  resorted  to,  with  the  result  that  a  formidable 
host  departed  for  the  Southland,  ravaging  the  ene- 
my's country,  and  bringing  in  many  prisoners. 

The  Cherokees  were  not  completely  vanquished, 
as  they  were  victorious  in  some  of  the  conflicts,  and 
also  made  numerous  prisoners.  Some  of  these  were 
tortured  to  death,  others  were  adopted  by  families 
that  had  lost  their  sons,  while  a  few  escaped  and 
made  their  way  Northward. 

The  war  was   followed  by  the  usual  period  of 

96 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  97 

upheaval  and  reconstruction,  and  the  moral  code  of 
the  redmen  suffered  as  much  as  did  modern  civiliza- 
tion as  an  aftermath  of  the  world  war.  Many  Cher- 
okee prisoners  were  brought  to  Pennsylvania  and  put 
at  menial  work,  or  bartered  as  slaves,  while  others 
intermarried  with  the  northern  tribes,  so  that  Chero- 
kee blood  become  a  component  part  of  the  make-up 
of  the  Pennsylvania  aboriginies.  The  Cherokee  leg- 
ends and  history  lingered  wherever  a  drop  of  their 
blood  remained,  so  that  the  beginnings  of  some,  at 
least,  of  our  Pennsylvania  Indian  folk-lore  hark  back 
to  the  golden  age  of  the  Cherokees. 

They  certainly  have  been  the  martyr-race,  the 
Belgians  of  the  North  American  Indians,  even  to  the 
time  of  their  brutal  expulsion  from  their  Carolina 
homes  during  the  Nineteenth  Century  by  U.  S.  troops 
at  the  behest  of  selfish  land-grabbers,  and  sentenced 
to  die  of  exhaustion  and  broken  hearts  along  the 
dreary  trek  to  the  distant  Indian  Territory. 

Among  the  bravest  and  most  enthusiastic  of  the 
Pennsylvania  invaders  was  the  young  warrior  In-nan- 
ga-eh,  chief  of  the  draft,  who  led  the  drafted  por- 
tion of  the  army  against  the  Cherokee  foemen.  He 
was  of  noble  blood,  hence  himself  exempt  from  the 
•draft,  but  he  was  a  lover  of  war  and  glory,  and  re- 
joiced to  lead  his  less  well-born,  and  less  patriotic 
compatriots  into  the  thick  of  battle.  Although  noble 
rank  automatically  exempted  from  the  draft,  tire 
young  scions  of  nobility  enlisted  practically  to  a  man, 


98  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

holding  high  commissions,  it  is  true,  yet  at  all  times 
bold  and  courageous. 

In-nan-ga-eh  was  always  peculiarly  attractive  to 
the  female  sex.  Tall,  lithe  and  sinewy,  he  was  a 
noted  runner  and  hunter,  as  well  as  famed  for  his 
warlike  prowess.  At  twenty-two  he  was  already  the 
veteran  of  several  wars,  notably  against  the  Ottawas 
and  the  Catawbas,  and  thirsted  for  a  chance  to  hum- 
ble his  southern  rivals,  the  Cherokees.  He  wished 
to  make  it  his  boast  that  he  had  fought  and  conquer- 
ed tribes  on  the  four  sides  of  the  territory  where  he 
lived,  making  what  is  now  the  Pennsylvania  coun- 
try the  ruling  land,  the  others  all  vassal  states. 

He  was  indiscriminate  in  his  love  making,  hav- 
ing no  respect  for  birth  or  caste,  being  different  from 
his  reserved  and  honorable  fellow  aristocrats,  con- 
sequently at  his  departure  for  the  south,  he  was 
mourned  for  by  over  a  score  of  maidens  of  various 
types  and  degrees.  If  he  cared  for  any  one  of  these 
admirers,  it  was  Liddenah,  a  very  beautiful,  kindly 
and  talented  maiden,  the  daughter  of  the  noted  wise 
man  or  sooth-saver,  Wahlowah,  and  probably  the  most 
remarkable  girl  in  the  tribe. 

That  she  cared  for  such  an  unstable  and  shal- 
low-minded youth  to  the  exclusion  of  others  of  su- 
perior mental  gifts  and  sericusness  of  purpose,  amply 
proved  the  saying  that  opposites  attract,  for  there 
could  have  been  no  congeniality  of  tastes  between  the 
pair.  Temperamentally  they  seemed  utterly  unsuited, 
as  Liddenah  was  artistic  and  musically  inclined,  and 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  99 

a  chronicler  of  no  mean  ability,  yet  she  would  have 
given  her  life  for  him  at  any  stage  of  the  romance. 
She  possessed  ample  self-control,  but  when  he  went 
away  her  inward  sorrow  gnawing  at  her  heart  almost 
killed  her.  She  may  have  had  a  presentiment  of  what 
was  in  store! 

During  invasions  of  this  kind,  communication 
with  home  was  maintained  by  means  of  runners  who 
carried  tidings,  good  or  bad,  bringing  back  verbal 
lists  of  the  dead,  wounded  and  missing,  some  of  which 
they  shamefully  garbled. 

In-nan-ga-eh  was  decorated  several  times  for 
conspicuous  bravery,  and  was  reported  in  the  van- 
guard of  every  attack,  until  at  length  came  the  shock- 
ing news  of  his  ambush  and  capture.  Over  a  score 
of  the  most  beautiful  maidens  along  the  Ohe-yu  and 
Youghiogheny  were  heartbroken  to  distraction,  but 
none  more  so  than  the  lovely  and  intellectual  Lidde- 
nah.  This  was  the  crowning  blow,  her  lover  taken  by 
his  cruel  foes,  t>eing  perhaps  boiled  alive,  or  drawn 
and  quartered.  Seated  alone  in  her  lodge  house  by 
the  banks  of  The  Beautiful  River,  she  pictured  all 
sorts  of  horrors  befalling  her  beloved,  and  of  his  own 
deep  grief  at  being  held  prisoner  so  far  from  his 
homeland. 

It  was  a  humiliation  to  be  captured,  and  by  a 
band  of  Amazons,  who  begged  permission  to  entrap 
the  fascinating  enemy.  Finding  him  bathing  in  a 
deep  pool,  they  surrounded  it,  flinging  at  him  slight- 
ly poisoned  darts,  which  made  him  partially  overcome 


100  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

by  sleep,  so  that  he  was  only  able  to  clamber  out  on 
the  bank,  there  to  be  secured  by  his  fair  captors  and 
led  in  dazed  triumph  to  their  chief. 

The  chieftain  was  elated  at  the  capture,  and 
treated  the  handsome  prisoner  with  all  the  deference 
due  to  his  rank.  Instead  of  boiling  him  in  oil,  or 
flaying  him,  he  was  feted  and  feasted,  and  the  war- 
like bands  became  demoralized  by  catering  to  his 
pleasure. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  chief's  daughter,  Ine- 
watah,  fell  in  love  with  him,  and  as  her  illustrious 
father,  Tekineh,  had  lost  a  son  in  the  war,  In-nan-ga- 
eh  was  given  the  choice  of  becoming  the  chief's  adopt- 
ed son  or  his  son-in-law.  He  naturally  chose  the  lat- 
ter, as, the  wife-tcnbe  was  both  beautiful  and  winning. 

The  war  resulted  in  defeat  for  the  Cherokees, 
although  the  old  chief  escaped  to  fastnesses  further 
south  with  his  beautiful  daughter  and  alien  son-in- 
law.  All  went  well  for  a  year  and  a  half  after  the 
peace  when  In-nan-ga-eh  began  to  feel  restless  and 
listless  for  his  northern  mountains,  the  playground  of 
his  youth.  He  wanted  to  go  on  a  visit,  and  asked 
the  chief's  permission,  giving  as  his  word  of  honor, 
his  love  for  the  chieftain's  daughter,  that  he  would 
properly  return. 

The  Cherokee  bride  was  as  heartbroken  as  Lid- 
denah;  she  had  first  asked  that  she  might  accompany 
him  on  the  trip,  which  was  refused,  but  she  accepted 
the  inevitable  stoically  outwardly,  but  with  secret 
aching  bosom. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  101 

In-nan-ga-eh  was  glad  to  get  away;  being  loved 
too  much  was  tiresome;  life  was  too  enervating  in 
the  warm  sunshine  on  Soco  Creek;  he  liked  the  camp 
and  the  hunting  lodge;  love  making,  too  mucn  ot  it, 
palled  on  him.     He  wanted  to  be  let  alone. 

Accompanied  by  a  bodyguard  of  selected 
Cherokee  s,  he  hurriedly  made  his  way  to  the  North. 
One  morning  to  the  surprise  and  delight  of  all,  he 
appeared  at  his  tribal  village  by  the  Ohe-yu,  as  gay 
and  debonair  as  ever.  As  he  entered  the  town  almost 
the  first  person  he  saw  was  Liddenah.  She  looked 
very  beautiful,  and  he  could  see  at  one  glance  how 
she  loved  him,  yet  perversely  he  barely  nodded  as  he 
passed. 

When  he  was  re-united  with  his  parents,  who 
treated  him  as  one  risen  from  the  dead,  his  sisters  be- 
gan telling  him  about  the  news  of  the  settlement,  of 
his  many  friends,  of  Liddenah.  Her  grief  had  been 
very  severe,  it  shocked  her  mother  that  she  should 
behave  so  like  a  European  and  show  her  feelings  to 
such  an  extent.  Then  the  report  had  come  that  he 
had  been  put  to  death  by  slow  torture.  "Better  that," 
Liddenah  had  said  openly  in  the  market  place,  "than 
to  remain  the  captive  of  barbarians." 

Once  it  was  taken  for  granted  that  he  was  dead, 
Liddenah  began  to  receive  the  attentions  of  young 
braves,  as  they  came  back  from  the  South  laden  with 
scalps  and  other  decorations  of  their  victorious  cam- 
paign against  the  Cherokees.  Liddenah  gave  all  to 
understand  that  her  heart  was  dead ;  she  was  polite 


102  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

and  tolerant,  but,  like  the  eagle,  she  could  love  only 
once. 

There  was  one  young  brave  named  Quinnemongh 
who  pressed  his  suit  more  assiduously  than  the  rest, 
and  aided  by  Ljddenah's  mother,  was  successful. 
The  pair  were  quietly  married  about  a  year  after 
In-nan-ga-eh's  capture,  or  several  months  before  he 
started  for  the  North,  leaving  his  Cherokee  bride  at 
her  father's  home  on  the  Soco. 

Quinnemongh  was  not  such  a  showy  individual 
as  In-nan-ga-eh,  but  his  bravery  was  unquestioned, 
his  reliability  and  honor  above  reproach.  He  made 
Liddenah  a  very  good  husband.  In  turn  she  seemed 
to  be  happy  with  him,  and  gradually  overcoming  her 
terrible  sorrow. 

When  In-nan-ga-eh  had  passed  Liddenah  on  en- 
tering the  village,  he  had  barely  noticed  her  because 
he  supposed  that  he  could  have  her  any  time  for  the 
asking.  When  he  learned  that  she  was  the  wife  of 
another,  he  suddenly  realized  that  he  wanted  her  very 
badly,  that  she  was  the  cause  of  his  journey  North- 
ward. The  old  passion  surged  through  his  veins; 
it  was  what  the  bark-peelers  call  "the  second  run  of 
the  sap." 

Through  his  sisters,  who  were  among  Liddenah's 
most  intimate  friends,  he  sought  a  clandestine  meet- 
ing with  his  former  sweetheart.  They  met  at  the 
"Stepping  Stones,"  a  crossing  near  the  headwaters 
of  Cowanshannock,  in  a  mossy  glade,  which  had  for- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  103 

merly  been  his  favorite  trysting  place  with  over  a 
score  of  doting  maidens  in  the  ante-bellum  days. 

Liddenah,  inspired  by  her  great  love,  never  look- 
ed more  beautiful.  She  was  probably  a  trifle  above 
the  average  height,  gracefully,  but  solidly  made.  Her 
skin  was  very  white,  her  eyes  dark,  her  hair  that  of 
a  raven,  while  her  aquiline  nose,  high  cheek  bones  and 
small,  fine  mouth  made  her  resemble  a  high-bred 
Jewess  more  than  an  Indian  squaw,  a  heritage  per- 
haps from  a  remote  Semitic  origin  beyond  the  Pacific. 
She  showed  openly  how  happy  she  was  to  meet  In-nan- 
ga-eh,  until  he  told  her  the  story  of  his  tragic  love, 
how  she  had  broken  his  young  heart  by  cruelly  marry- 
ing another  while  he  languished  in  a  Southern  prison 
camp.  In  vain  she  protested  that  on  all  sides  came 
seemingly  authentic  reports  of  nis  death ;  he  was 
obdurate  in  the  destiny  he  had  decreed.  Otunne- 
mongh  must  die  by  his  hand,  and  he  would  then  flee 
with  the  widow  to  the  country  of  the  Ottawas.  The 
hot  blood  surging  in  his  veins,  like  a  second  flow  of 
sap  in  a'  red  maple,  must  be  appeased  by  her  submis- 
sion. 

Liddenah  was  horrified ;  she  came  of  eminently  re- 
spectable ancestry,  she  admired  Quinnemongh,  her 
husband,  almost  to  the  point  of  loving  him,  but  where 
that  affection  ended,  her  all-pervading  obsession  for 
In-nan-ga-eh  began  and  knew  no  limitations  in  her 
being. 

"Tonight",  said  In-nan-ga-eh,  scowling  dreadfully, 
"I   will   surprise  the   vile   Quinnemongh   in  his   lodge 


104  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

house,  and  with  one  blow  of  my  stone  war-hammer 
crush  in  his  skull,  then  I  will  scalp  him  and  meet  you 
at  the  stepping  stones,  and  by  the  moonlight  we  will 
decamp  to  the  far  free  country  of  the  Ottawas,  his 
scalp  dangling  at  my  belt  as  proof  of  my  hate  and  my 
bravery". 

Liddenah  gave  a'  reluctant  assent  to  the  fiendish  pro- 
gram when  they  parted.  On  her  way  home  through 
the  forest  path  her  conscience  smote  her  with  Mosaic 
insistence — the  blood  of  her  ancestors,  of  the  Lost 
Tribe  of  Israel,  would  not  permit  her  to  sanction  the 
murder  of  a  good  and  true  warrior.  She  would 
immolate  herself  for  her  family  honor,  and  for  her 
respect  for  Quinnemongh. 

Arriving  at  the  lodge-house  she  went  straight  to 
Quinnemongh  and  confessed  the  story  of  her  meeting 
with  the  perfidious  In-nan-ga-eh,  all  but  the  homicidal 
part.  Quinnemongh  was  not  much  surprised,  as  he 
knew  of  her  great  love  for  the  ex-Cherokee  prisoner, 
and   In-nan-ga-eh's   capricious   pride. 

"Quinnemongh",  she  said,  between  her  sobs,  for,  like 
a  white  girl,  she  was  tearful,  "I  was  to  meet  In-nan- 
ga-eh  tonight,  when  the  moon  is  over  the  tops  of  the 
trees,  by  the  stepping  stones,  and  we  were  to  fly  to- 
gether to  the  country  of  the  Ottawas.  You  present 
yourself  there  in  my  stead,  and  tell  the  false  In-nan- 
ga-eh -that  I  have  changed  my  mind,  that  I  am  true  to 
my  noble  husband". 

Needless  to  say,  Quinnemongh  was  pleased  at  this 
recital,  and  promised  to  be  at  the  ford  at  the  appointed 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  105 

time.  Like  most  persons  under  similar  circumstances, 
he  was  eager  to  be  on  his  errand,  and  departed  early, 
armed  with  his  favorite  scalping  knife.  Liddenah 
kissed  and  embraced  him,  calling  him  her  "hero",  and 
once  he  was  out  of  sight,  she  darted  into  his  cabin 
and  lay  down  among  his  blankets  and  buffalo  robes, 
covering  herself,  all  but  the  top  of  her  brow,  and 
huddling,  all  curled  up,  for  the  autumnal  air  was  chill. 

The  moon  slowly  rose  higher  and  higher  until  it 
reached  the  crowns  of  the  giant  rock  oaks  along  the 
edge  of  the  "Indian  fields".  The  gaunt  form  of  In- 
nan-ga-eh  could  now  be  seen  creeping  steadily  out  of 
the  forest,  bounding  across  the  clearing  and,  stone  axe 
in  hand,  entered  the  cabin  where  he  supposed  that 
Quinnemongh  was  sleeping.  A  ray  of  shimmery 
moonlight  shone  full  on  the  upturned  forehead  of  his 
victim.  Animated  by  a  jealous  hate,  he  struck  a 
heavy  blow  with  his  axe  of  dark  diorite,  crushing  in 
the  sleeper's  temples  like  an  egshell.  Leaving  the 
weapon  imbedded  in  his  victim's  skull,  he  deftly  cut 
off  the  long  bushy  scalp  with  his  sharp  knife,  and, 
springing  out  of  the  hut,  started  off  on  a  dog-trot  to- 
wards the  stepping  stones,  waving  his  bloody,  grue- 
some souvenir. 

He  approached  the  fording  with  the  light  of  the 
full  moon  shining  on  the  waters  of  the  brook;  he  was 
exultant  and  grinding  his  teeth  in  lustful  fury.  Who 
should  he  see  there — not  the  fair  and  yielding  god- 
dess Liddenah,  but  the  stalwart  form  of  the  recently 
butchered  and   scalped  Quinnemongh.        Believer   in 


106  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ghosts  that  he  was,  this  was  almost  too  much  of  a  visi- 
tation for  him.  Pausing  a  minute  to  make  sure,  he 
rushed  forward  brandishing  the  scalp  in  one  hand,  his 
knife,  which  caught  the  moon's  beams  on  its  blade  in 
the  other. 

"Wretch"!  he  shrieked  at  Quinnemongh,  "must  I 
kill  you  a  second  time  to  make  you  expiate  your  sin 
at  marrying  Liddenah"? 

Quinnemongh,  who  stood  rigid  as  a  statue  at  the 
far  side  of  the  ford,  replied,  "'You  have  not  killed  me 
once ;  how  dare  you  speak  of  a  second  time"  ? 

"Whose  scalp  have  I  then"  ?  shouted  In-nan-ga-eh, 
as  he  continued  to  rush  forward. 

"Not  mine  surely",  said  Quinnemongh,  as  he  felt 
his  comparatively  sparse  locks 

Just  as  the  men  came  face  to  face  it  dawned  on  both 
what  had  happened,  and  with  gleaming  knives,  they 
sprang  at  one  another  in  a  death  struggle.  For  half 
an  hour  they  fought,  grappling  and  stabbing,  kicking 
and  biting,  in  the  shallow  waters  of  the  ford.  Neither 
would  go  down,  though  Liddenah's  scalp  was  forced 
from  In-nan-ag-eh's  hand,  and  got  between  the  breasts 
of  the  two  combatants,  who  pushed  it,  greasy  and 
gory,  up  and  down  as  they  fought.  They  literally 
stabbed  one  another  full  of  holes,  and  bit  and  tore  at 
their  faces  like  wild  beasts;  they  carved  the  skin  off 
their  shoulders  and  backs,  they  kicked  until  their  shin 
bones  cracked,  until  finally  both,  worn  out  from  loss 
of  blood,  sank  into  the  brook  and  died. 

In  the  morning  the  scalped  and  mutilated  form  of 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


107 


Liddenah  was  discovered  among  the  gaudy  blank- 
ets and  decorated  buffalo  robes;  a  bloody  trail  was 
followed  to  the  stepping  stones,  where  the  two  grue- 
some corpses  were  found,  half  submerged  in  the  red, 
bloody  water,  in  an  embrace  so  inextricable,  their 
arms  like  locked  battling  stags'  antlers  that  they  could 
not  in  the  rigidity  of  death  be  separated.  Foes  though 
they  were,  the  just  and  patient  Indians  who  found 
them  could  do  nothing  else  but  dig  a  common  grave  in 
the  half-frozen  earth,  close  to  the  stepping  stones,  and 
there  they  buried  them  together,  with  Liddenah's  soggy 
scalp  and  their  bent  and  broken  knives,  their  bodies  to 
comingle  with  earth  until  eternity. 


VIII 

Black  Chief's  Daughter 

IT  was  the  occasion  of  the  annual  Strawberry  Dance 
at  the  Seneca  Reservation,  a  lovely  evening  in  June. 

when,  after  a  warm  rain,  there  had  been  a  clear 
sunset,  and  the  air  was  sweet  with  the  odor  of  the  grass, 
and  the  narrow  roads  were  deep  with  soft,  brown  mud 
and  many  puddles  of  water. 

In  the  long,  grey  frame  Council  House  all  was 
animation  and  excitement.  The  grim  old  Chief, 
Twenty  Canoes,  decked  out  in  his  headdress  of  feath- 
ers, followed  by  the  musicians  with  wolf-skin  drums 
filled  with  pebbles  had  arrived,  and  taken  places  on 
the  long  bench  that  ran  almost  the  entire  length  of 
the  great  hall.  Other  older  and  distinguished  Indians, 
Indian  guests  from  the  Cornplanter  Reservation  in 
Pennsylvania,  and  from  the  New  York  Reservations 
at  Tonawanda,  and  the  Geneseo,  and  a  few  white  vis- 
itors, including  the  Rev.  Holt,  the  Town  Missionary 
and  Attorney  Vreeland,  the  agent,  with  their  families, 
completely  filled  the  lengthy  bench. 

The  Indian  dancers,  male  and  female,  gaily  attired, 
had  been  gathering  outside,  and  now,  with  the  first 
rattle  of  the  drums,  filed  into  the  room  and  began  to 
dance.  As  the  first  loud  tattoo  was  heard,  the  dancers 
commenced  shaking  their  shoulders,  holding  their  arms 
rigid,  and  the  "Shimmy"  of  decadent  New  York  and 
Philadelphia  of  nearly  half  a  century  later,  was  ren- 

108 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  109 

dered  effectively  by  its  originators,  the  rhythmic  abori- 
gines. As  they  danced  in  single  file  around  the  visitors' 
bench  and  past  the  Chief,  to  the  beat  of  the  wolf  skin 
drums,  they  melodiously  chanted,  first  the  men,  and 
then  the  women:  "Wee-Wah,  Wee-Wah,  Wee-Wah, 
Wanna;  Wee-Wah,  Wee-Wah,  Wee-Wah,  Wanna." 
At  times  the  women  joined  in  the  general  song, 
swelling  the  volume  of  the  melody,  until  it  drowned 
out  the  drum-beats.  The  windows  were  open  and 
the  perfume  of  lilacs  was  wafted  in  on  the  evening 
breeze,  as  the  swaying  files  of  Indian  braves  and 
maidens  shimmied  around  and  around.  Among  the 
white  visitors  was  one  young  man  who  was  particularly 
impressed,  as  he  was  there  not  out  of  idle  curiosity, 
but  to  study  the  manners  and  customs  of  the  last  of  the 
Senecas,  in  order  to  write  his  doctor's  thesis  at  the 
University,  the  subject  being  "The  Later  History  of 
the  Seneca  Indians  in  New  York." 

Christian  Trubee,  for  that  was  his  name,  had 
always  been  interested  in  the  redmen,  a  natural 
heritage  from  pioneer  and  frontiersman  ancestors  who 
had  fought  the  Indians  all  along  the  Allegheny  Moun- 
tains and  in  the  Ohio  River  basin.  He  had  lately 
come  to  Steamburg,  putting  up  at  Pat  Smith's  "long 
house,"  where  he  had  quickly  become  acquainted  with 
Simon  Black  Chief,  a  handsome  Indian  youth  who 
picked  up  a  living  as  a  mountebank  among  the  fre- 
quenters of  the  ancient  hostelry. 

Simon  was  a  wonderful  runner,  and  if  he  could 
interest  the  lumber  buyers  and  the  traveling  men,  would 


110  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

match  himself  against  a  little  black  mare  owned  by 
Smith  and  usually  ridden  by  the  landlord's  stepson 
for  a  half  mile  or  mile,  and  generally  beat  his  equine 
rival.  Other  times  he  would  ride  the  horse  at  a  gallop, 
without  saddle  or  bridle,  over  the  common  between  the 
hotel  and  the  Erie  Railroad  Station,  picking  up  hand- 
kerchiefs, cigars  and  quarter  dollars  off  the  greensward 
without  ever  once  losing  his  equilibrum. 

On  the  evening  in  question,  he  invited  the  young 
student  to  accompany  him  to  the  Strawberry  Dance  at 
the  Council  House,  and  passing  by  the  one-roomed 
board  shack  where  he  lived,  his  sister,  known  as  Black 
Chief's  Daughter,  came  out  and  joined  them,  so  that 
the  trio  proceeded  single  file  to  the  scene  of  the  festivi- 
ties. Neither  Simon  nor  his  sister  danced  that  evening, 
but  sat  near  their  distinguished  guest,  explaining  as 
best  they  could  the  methods  and  art  of  the  performers, 
for  they  were  very  proud  of  the  Indian  dancing  and 
music.  As  the  evening  progressed,  Christian  Trubee 
found  himself  admiring  the  Indian  maid  at  his  side 
more  than  he  did  the  shimmying  hordes  on  the  floor, 
or  the  quaint  picturesqueness  of  the  unique  ceremonial. 

Black  Chief's  daughter  was  certainly  the  best 
looking  girl  present,  almost  more  like  an  American  than 
an  Indian  in  appearance,  for  her  profile  was  certainly 
on  refined  lines,  and  it  was  only  when  looking  her  full 
in  the  face  did  the  racial  traits  of  breadth  of  the  bridge 
of  the  nose,  flatness  of  lips  and  deep  duskiness  of  com- 
plexion reveal  themselves.  Her  dark  eyes  were  very 
clear  and  expressive,  her  teeth  even  and  white,   her 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  111 

neck  and  throat  graceful,  and  her  form  long,  lithe  and 
elegant. 

Christian  Trubee  liked  her  very  much,  and  was 
entirely  absorbed  by  her  at  the  time  of  the  last  beat 
of  the  drums  when,  with  a  loud  yell,  the  dance  con- 
cluded, and  the  now  limp  and  perspiring  Indian  dancers 
crowded  out  of  doors  into  the  cool  moonlight.  On  the 
way  back  Simon  Black  Chief  led  the  way,  his  long  hair 
blowing  in  the  breeze,  his  sister  following.  Trubee  did 
not  follow  single  file,  but  walked  beside  the  fair  damsel. 
She  was  as  tall  as  he  was,  though  she  wore  deerskin 
shoes  without  heels.  When  they  parted,  in  the  long 
lush  grass,  before  the  humble  cabin,  she  promised  to 
show  him  some  of  the  interesting  spots  on  the  reser- 
vation— the  grave  of  Blacksnake,  the  famous  chief 
and  orator,  the  various  tribal  burial  places,  and  a  visit 
to  King  Jimmerson,  who  alternated  with  Twenty 
Canoes  as  President  of  the  Seneca  Nation,  to  see  the 
silver  war  crowns  of  Red  Jacket,  Blacksnake  and  The 
Cornplanter,  and  to  Red  House  to  meet  Jim  Jacobs, 
the  venerable  "Seneca  Bear  Hunter." 

All  of  these  excursions  duly  came  to  pass,  about 
one  a  day,  as  the  weather  turned  steadily  clear,  day 
after  day,  when  the  Keewaydin  blew,  and  the  distant 
mountains  along  The  Beautiful  River  wore  a  purple 
green,  and  fleecy  white  clouds  tumbled  about  in  the 
deep  blue  sky.  On  these  excursions  Black  Chief's 
Daughter  seemed  to  be  the  equal  of  her  brother  and 
Trubee  as  a  pedestrian,  was  never  tired,  always  cheerful 
and  anxious  to  explain  the  various  points  of  interest. 


112  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

At  one  of  the  graveyards  she  pointed  out  the  last 
resting  place  of  an  eccentric  redman  known  as  "Indian 
Brown,"  with  two  deep,  round  holes  in  the  mound, 
made  according  to  his  last  wishes,  because  he  had  been 
such  a  bad  Indian  in  life,  that  when  the  Devil  came 
down  one  hole  to  get  him,  he  would  escape  by  the 
other ! 

The  three  young  people  got  along  famously  on  the 
trips  and  Trubee  was  absorbing  an  unusual  amount  of 
aboriginal  history  and  lore,  and  under  the  most  pleasant 
circumstances.  While  he  never  said  a  word  of  affection 
or  even  compliment  to  Black  Chief's  Daughter,  he  felt 
himself  deeply  enamored,  and  often,  in  his  quiet  mo- 
ments, pictured  her  as  his  wife.  Once  or  twice  came 
the  answering  thought,  how  could  he,  a  man  of  so  much 
education  and  refinement,  take  for  life  a  mate  who 
could  not  read,  and  whose  English  was  little  better 
than  a  baby's  jargon?  Where  would  he  take  her 
to?  Would  she  like  his  life,  for  surely  he  could 
not  become  a  squaw  man  on  the  reservation?  On 
the  other  hand,  she  was  gentle,  sympathetic  and 
thoughtful,  and  the  blood  of  regal  Indian  ancestors 
gave  her  a  refinement  that  sometimes  education  does 
not  convey.  But  he  was  happy  in  the  moment,  as  are 
most  persons  of  adaptability  of  character.  He  was  at 
home  in  any  company,  or  in  any  circumstances,  and  had 
he  been  old  enough  to  enlist,  would  have  made  a  bril- 
liant record  in  the  Civil  War ;  as  it  was  he  was  but  ten 
years  of  age  when  the  conflict  ended. 

As  the  days  wore  on,  each  one  more  delightful 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  11& 

than  its  predecessor,  Simon  Black  Chief  and  his  sister 
vied  with  one  another  to  plan  trips  to  points  of  interest. 
One  evening  Simon  asked  his  white  friend  if  he  had 
ever  seen  a  wolf-house,  the  local  Indian  method  of 
trapping  these   formidable  animals. 

"What  was  it  like,  and  where  was  there  one  ?"  was 
Trubee's  instant  reply. 

"A  wolf-house,"  said  Simon,  "is  a  walled  trap  like 
a  white  man's  great,  big  mouse-trap,  with  a  falling 
door.  There  is  still  one  preserved  over  at  the  Ox 
Bow,  at  the  tall,  stone  mansion  called  'Corydon,' 
across  the  Pennsylvania  line." 

Trubee's  interest  was  aroused,  not  only  in  the 
wolf-house,  but  the  "tall  stone  mansion"  and  its  pos- 
sible occupants.  Simon  explained  to  him  that  an 
English  gentleman  lived  there,  a  son-in-law  of  one  of 
the  heads  of  the  Holland  Land  Company.  He  had 
been  a  great  hunter  in  his  earlier  days,  following 
exclusively  the  methods  taught  him  by  the  Indians. 
It  was  a  longer  trip  than  any  yet  attempted,  but  Trubee 
secured  Pat  Smith's  little  black  mare  and  two  other 
horses,  so  that  the  trio  departed  on  horseback  for  the 
distant  manor  house.  Black  Chief's  Daughter,  who 
rode  astride,  was  a  skillful  and  graceful  horsewoman, 
even  though  her  mount  was  a  poor  excuse  of  horseflesh. 

The  trip  along  The  Beautiful  River  was  very  en- 
joyable, and  at  length  they  came  in  sight  of  "Corydon" 
on  the  hill,  above  the  river,  a  great,  high,  dark  stone 
structure,  ivy  grown,  standing  in  a  group  of  original 
white  pines,  some  of  these  venerable  monarchs  being 


114  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

stag-topped,  while  others  had  lost  their  crests  in  sundry 
tempests.  There  was  a  private  rope  ferry  across  the 
river,  but  they  rode  the  horses  through  the  stream, 
which  was  so  deep  in  one  place  that  the  animals  were 
forced  to  swim.  They  rode  into  the  grounds,  past  the 
huge  stone  gate  posts,  up  the  hill,  under  the  dark  pines. 
As  they  neared  the  front  door,  the  portico  designed 
by  the  famous  Latrobe,  several  dogs  which  looked  like 
Scottish  deerhounds  rushed  down  from  the  porch  and 
began  to  leap  about  tht  horses'  throatlatches,  barking 
loudly. 

Trubee  checked  his  horse,  and  asked  Simon,  who 
was  acquainted  with  the  family,  to  dismount  and  inquire 
if  he  might  inspect  the  wolf -house,  which  stood  on  a 
heathy  eminence  behind  the  garden.  Once  wolves  had 
been  so  plentiful  and  so  bold  that  five  of  the  monsters 
had  been  caught  in  the  trap  in  the  space  of  three 
months. 

Before  Simon  Black  Chief  could  dismount,  two 
figures  emerged  from  the  house,  a  young  man  and  a 
young  woman.  Trubee's  quick  glances  made  mental 
pictures  of  both.  The  man  was  about  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  short  and  thickset,  with  blond  hair  parted  in 
the  middle,  a  small  mustache  and  "Burnsides,"  de- 
cidedly military  in  his  bearing.  The  girl  was  of 
medium  height,  possibly  twenty  years  of  age,  decidedly 
pretty,  with  Sudan  brown  hair,  hazel  eyes,  clear  cut 
features,  a  fair  complexion  and  wearing  a  flowing 
Mother  Hubbard  gown  of  prune-colored  brocade. 

Trubee  rode  up  to  them,  bowing,  reining  his  horse. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  115 

which  he  turned  over  to  Simon  and,  dismounting,  apol- 
ogized for  his  intrusion.  He  explained  how  the  Indian 
had  told  him  of  the  curious  wolf -house  back  of  the  gar- 
den and  how  it  would  help  him  in  his  researches  to  see 
it.  The  girl  graciously  offered  to  show  it  to  him,  but 
first  invited  the  Indian  girl  to  dismount  and  rest.  The 
young  man  remained  talking  to  the  Indian,  but  the 
Seneca  maid  continued  to  sit  on  her  horse,  rigid  and 
silent  as  a  Tanagra.  On  the  way  to  the  wolf-house, 
Christian  Trubee  introduced  himself,  and,  being  able 
to  mention  several  mutual  acquaintances,  which  put 
him  on  an  easy  footing  with  the  fair  chatelaine  of 
"Corydon". 

The  charming  girl  told  him  that  she  was  Phillis 
Paddingstowe,  the  daughter  of  the  lord  of  the  manor, 
which  made  Trubee  feel  like  saying  how  natural  it  was 
to  find  Phillis  at  Corydon  I  The  young  military-looking 
man,  "the  little  Colonel"  she  called  him,  was  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Thomas  Caslow,  who  had  served  with  General 
Huidekoper,  "the  hero  of  Gettysburg"  in  that  immortal 
conflict,  and  was  at  Corydon  for  a  few  days  on  a  trout 
fishing  trip.  The  old  garden  through  which  they  passed 
on  the  way  to  the  wolf-house  was  full  of  boxwood  trees, 
which  had  been  brought  from  Bartram's  gardens  in 
Philadelphia  by  wagon  to  Warren,  and  up  the  Ohe-yu 
in  flat  boats.  They  gave  a  spicy,  aromatic  odor  to  the 
summer  afternoon  atmosphere.  The  wolf-house  was 
falling  to  decay,  but  Trubee  took  out  his  note  book  and 
sketched  it  and  recorded  its  dimensions.  It  was  sur- 
prising that  wolves  should  come  so  close  to  a  habita- 


116  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

tion,  but  Phillis  stated  that  when  she  was  a  baby  they 
had  actually  killed  and  eaten  three  of  her  father's 
favorite  Scotch  deerhounds  in  one  night,  though  they 
were  chained  to  kennels  at  the  rear  of  the  house. 

By  the  time  they  had  returned  from  their  inspec- 
tion, Clement  Paddingstowe,  Phillis'  father,  had  ap- 
peared, and  supplemented  his  daughter's  cordial  invi- 
tation that  they  stay  to  tea.  Trubee  might  have  re- 
mained, but  Black  Chief's  Daughter,  though  she  was 
again  urged  by  Phillis  and  her  father,  semed  disin- 
clined to  partake  of  the  hospitality.  They  rode  down 
the  drive  all  a  changed  party.  The  Indian  girl  had 
heard  Trubee  accept  an  invitation  to  return  to  "Cory- 
don"  in  the  near  future,  and  noted  his  admiring  glances 
at  her  fair  person;  she  felt  for  the  first  time  that  she 
stood  no  chance  against  a  white  girl  of  gentle  blood, 
though  her  own  native  antecedents  were  of  as  noble 
quality,  for  was  she  not  Black  Chief's  Daughter,  and 
the  granddaughter  of  the  undefeated  warrior,  Destroy- 
Town? 

She  was  silent  and  hung  her  head  the  whole  way 
back  to  Steamburg.  Phillis,  though  delightfully  cour- 
teous by  nature,  seemed  a  trifle  distant  to  the  little 
Colonel  that  evening.  Simon  Black  Chief  was  piqued 
at  himself  for  having  brought  unhappiness  to  his  sister. 
Christian  Trubee  was  in  love  with  Phillis  Padding- 
stowe. Nevertheless,  the  young  collegian  was  too  much 
a  man  of  the  world  not  to  value  the  kindnesses  be- 
stowed on  him  by  Simon  and  his  sister,  their  parents 
and  other  Indians  of  the  reservation,  to  become  sud- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  117 

denly  cold  and  indifferent.  Yet,  alone,  he  wondered 
why  he  had  ever  for  a  minute  contemplated  marrying 
an  Indian  girl,  and  how  slight  would  be  their  spiritual 
intercourse?  Yet  he  was  here  underrating  Black 
Chief's  Daughter,  who  was  not  of  the  earth-earthy, 
and  had  called  herself  to  him  "an  imaginative  person." 

He  tried  to  be  polite  and  attentive  to  the  Indian 
girl,  but  she  noted  that  on  several  occasions  where  she 
planned  trips  for  certain  days,  he  demurred  on  account 
of  engagements  at  "Corydon."  His  manner  was  dif- 
ferent; the  Indian  girl,  uncannily  intuitive,  would  not 
be  deceived.  The  summer  wore  along,  and  Trubee  saw 
that  he  could  not  keep  up  pleasing  Black  Chief's 
Daughter,  a  break  must  come  somehow.  And  the 
neglected  maiden,  unknown  to  him,  was  reading  his 
every  thought,  and  prepared  to  make  that  break  first 
She  had  brought  some  late  huckleberries  to  Pat  Smith's 
wife  at  the  long  house,  where  she  was  told  that  Trubee 
had  been  absent  for  three  days  at  "Corydon" ;  that  it 
was  rumored  he  would  marry  Clement  Paddingstowe's 
daughter  in  the  Fall. 

As  she  walked  along  the  path  between  the  yellow, 
half -dead  grasses,  swinging  the  little  iron  pot  that  had 
contained  the  berries,  she  began  planning  for  the  disso- 
lution of  her  unhappy  romance.  There  were  many 
May  apples  or  mandrakes  ripening  in  the  low  places, 
and,  stooping,  she  uprooted  several  plants,  half  filling 
the  pot  with  them.  Then  she  left  the  trail,  and  started 
across  the  meadow  toward  a  group  of  ancient  hemlock 
trees,  beneath  which  was  the  Cold  Spring.     Near  the 


118  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

spring  were  large,  flat  stones  laid  up  like  seats,  and  the 
remains  of  some  stone  hearths  where  the  Indians  often 
roasted  corn.  She  had  her  flints  and  steel  with  her, 
and  gathered  enough  dry  twigs  and  punk  to  light  a 
fire.  Then  she  sat  down  on  one  of  the  flat  stones 
and,  with  her  hands  over  her  face,  she  reviewed  the 
story  of  her  love  for  Trubee.  He  had  cared  for  her 
at  first;  that  was  consolation,  but  she  was  helpless 
beside  the  white  rival ;  red  blood  was  as  nothing  beside 
blue.  Then  she  nervously  tramped  out  the  fire,  as  if 
to  start  on  again.  This  life  was  a  very  little  thing, 
after  all;  if  her  dream  had  failed  in  this  existence, 
better  end  it,  and  come  back  again  and  fulfill  it,  even 
as  a  flower  or  bird ;  it  was  impossible  to  prevent  living 
again.  She  began  to  munch  the  roots  of  the  May  apples 
which  she  had  gathered,  and  then  began  to  walk  across 
the  fields  toward  the  graveyard  which  contained  the 
tomb  of  "Indian  Brown,"  the  bad  man. 

As  she  came  near  the  road  which  led  to  "Corydon" 
she  made  an  effort  to  run  across  it,  but  in  the  middle 
of  it  a  dizziness  seized  her,  then  a  sharp  pain,  and  she 
staggered  and  dropped  in  a  heap,  the  dust  rising  from 
the  dry  highway  as  she  fell.  The  sand  got  in  her  eyes, 
nose  and  mouth  as  she  lay  on  the  path,  her  legs  twisting 
in  convulsive  spasms.  The  sun  was  beginning  to  sink 
close  to  the  tops  of  the  long,  rolling  summits  of  the 
western  mountains  as  the  form  of  a  horseman  came  in 
sight  away  down  the  long  stretch  of  level  road.  It  was 
Christian  Trubee  returning  from  "Corydon,"  flushed 
with  the  progress  of  his  love  making  with  the  fair  and 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  119 

dainty  Phillis  Paddingstowe.  He  saw  a  black  object 
in  the  road;  a  wool  sack  fallen  from  some  wagon,  was 
his  first  conjecture.  Coming  closer,  he  perceived  it  to 
be  a  human  being,  a  woman,  Black  Chief's  Daughter. 

He  threw  the  bridle  rein  over  the  little  mare's  head 
and  sprang  to  the  ground.  As  he  caught  the  limp  form 
of  the  Indian  girl  in  his  arms,  she  half  opened  her  eyes 
and  looked  up  at  him. 

"Oh,  Mr.  Trubee,  let  me  be,  I  pray  of  you;  let  me 
stay  here  and  die ;  I  haven't  anything  more  to  live  for 
since  we  visited  at  'Corydon'." 

The  young  man  did  not  know  how  to  answer  her, 
for  he  was  honest  always.  He  lifted  her  on  the  saddle 
behind  him,  holding  the  long,  lean  arms  around  his 
waist,  while  her  head  bobbed  on  his  shoulder,  and 
started  the  little  trappy  black  at  a  trot  for  the  long 
house.  It  was  supper  time  as  he  neared  the  old  hotel. 
In  order  to  avoid  attention,  he  rode  up  to  the  kitchen 
door,  at  the  back  of  the  house.  A  small,  ugly,  very 
black  colored  boy,  with  a  banjo,  from  Jamestown,  was 
strumming  a  Negro  melody  to  amuse  the  cooks. 

"Get  on  this  horse  quick,  boy."  Trubee  called  to 
him,  as  he  dismounted  with  his  limp  burden,  "and  bring 
over  Doctor  Forrester;  Black  Chief's  Daughter  is  in  a 
bad  way  from  poison." 

Pat  Smith's  wife  and  the  other  cooks  ran  out,  and, 
taking  in  the  situation  at  a  glance,  carried  the  almost 
unconscious  but  uncomplaining  girl  into  the  house 
where  they  laid  her  on  a  bench  in  the  dance  hall,  all 
unknown   to   the   guests,   munching   their   huckleberry 


120  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

pie  in  the  nearby  dining  room.  The  Doctor's  buggy 
was  standing  in  front  of  his  cottage,  and  putting  his 
horse  to  a  gallop  he  raced  the  little  Negro  back  to  the 
hotel.  It.  did  not  take  him  long,  as  he  was  a  noted 
herbalist,  to  diagnose  the  case  as  poison  from  May 
apple  root,  very  deadly,  but  a  drastic  Indian  emetic, 
administered   just    in    time,    preserved   her   life. 

It  was  a  grisly  scene  in  the  bare,  cheerless  ball 
room;  Black  Chief's  daughter,  all  undressed,  lay  on 
a  bench,  while  old  Black  Chief,  her  father,  and  Taleeka, 
her  mother,  Simon,  Pat  Smith,  his  wife,  his  daughter, 
Sally  Ann,  Doctors  Forrester  and  Colegrove,  and 
Christian  Trubee  stood  near  her,  or  coming  and  going, 
most  of  them  holding  lighted  candles,  which  cast  fretful 
shadows  against  the  walls  and  close-shuttered  windows 
of  this  scene  of  much  former  ribald  merrymaking.  All 
present  knew  why  the  girl  had  sought  to  take  her  life, 
yet  not  a  single  accusing  word  was  uttered.  All  wanted 
to  save  her — for  what?  Later  she  was  carried  into  one 
of  the  adjoining  guest  rooms  and  put  to  bed. 

Somewhat  later  Pat  Smith's  wife,  a  motherly 
woman,  met  Trubee  in  the  hall,  saying  to  him : 

"Won't  you  please  let  me  whisper  to  her  that  you 
are  happy  her  life  is  saved,  and  that  you  will  marry  her 
as  soon  as  she  is  able  ?" 

The  young  man  hesitated,  then  faltered :  "I  rather 
you'd  not  say  it  just  now." 

When  she  was  almost  to  the  door  he  ran  after  her. 
saying :  "Tell  her  what  you  suggested,  in  my  presence." 

He   followed  her  into  the  room.     The   landlady 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  121 

bent  over  the  stricken  girl  and  gave  her  the  message. 
Black  Chief's  daughter  looked  up  at  Trubee.  and 
trying  to  smile,  said: 

"I  can't  do  it;  all  I  ask  is  that  everything  be  as  it 
was  before  you  came  to  the  Reservation." 

"Which  means",  said  the  young  man,  "that  I  re- 
turn to  the  University,  having  everything  as  it  was 
before  we  went  to  the  Strawberry  dance,  or  before 
you  took  me  to  'Corydon'  ". 

"That  is  exactly  my  meaning",  the  girl  whispered 
faintly.     "Then  all  will  be  well". 

"I  think  I  can  gather  my  things  together  and  make 
the  three  o'clock  train  east  this  morning;  it  is  only 
right  that  I  should  go;  I  have  made  everybody  un- 
happy since  I  came  here." 

"Oh,  no!"  replied  Black  Chief's  daughter,  "only 
me,  and  then  only  since  the  trip  to  'Corydon'." 

With  a  lingering  hand  clasp  they  parted,  and 
Christian  Trubee,  like  one  dazed  by  his  unsuccessful 
tilt  with  Fate,  moved  off  towards  his  room,  not  know- 
ing whether  to  be  glad  or  sorry,  but  secretfy  eased  in 
spirit  for  accepting  the  only  course  that  would  extri- 
cate him  from  his  triangular  dilemma. 

After  he  was  gone,  Black  Chief's  daughter  fell 
into  a  peaceful  slumber  and  did  not  wake,  even  when 
the  roaring  express  train,  with  its  blazing  headlight, 
slowed  down  at  Steamburg  for  its  solitary  eastbound 
passenger. 


IX. 

The  Gorilla 

IF  Sir  Rider  Haggard  was  a  Pennsylvanian  he  would 
doubtless  lay  the  scenes  of  his  wonderful  mystery 

stories  in  Snyder  County.  It  is  in  that  ruggedly 
picturesque  mountainous  county  where  romance  has 
taken  its  last  stand,  where  the  old  touches  the  new,  and 
ghosts,  goblins  and  witches  and  memories  of  panthers, 
wolves  and  Indians  linger  in  cycle  after  cycle  of  imag- 
inative reminiscences.  Every  now  and  then,  even 
in  this  dull,  unsympathetic  age,  when  the  world,  as 
Artist  Shearer  puts  it  ,  "is  aesthetically  dead",  Snyder 
County  is  thrilled  by  some  new  ghost,  witch,  panther 
or  mystery  story.  The  latest  cf  these  in  the  last  days 
of  1920  and  the  first  of  1921 — the  giant  gorilla — has 
thrilled  the  entire  Commonwealth  by  its  unique  horror. 

The  papers  have  told  us  how  a  gigantic  man-ape 
escaped  from  a  carnival  train  near  Williamsport,  and 
seeking  the  South,  fled  over  the  mountains  to  Snyder 
County,  where  it  attacked  a  small  boy,  breaking  his 
arm,  held  up  automobiles,  rifled  smoke  houses  and 
the  like,  and  then  appeared  in  Snyder  Township, 
Blair  County,  still  further  South,  his  nocturnal  ram- 
blings  in  that  region  proving  an  effective  curfew  for 
the  young  folks  of  a  half-dozen  rural  communities. 

This  story  sounds  thrillingly  interesting,  but  as 
gorillas  live  on  fruit,  and  do  not  eat  flesh,  the  animal 
in  question  would  have  starved  or  frozen  to  death  at 

122 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  123 

the  outset  of  his  career  in  the  Alleghenies,  and  there 
the  "X",  unknown  quantity  of  the  real  story  begins. 
The  newspapers  have  only  printed  the  most  popular 
versions  of  the  gorilla  mystery,  only  a  fraction  of  the 
romance  and  folk-lore  that  sprang  up  mushroom-like 
around  the  presence  of  such  an  alien  monster  in  our 
highlands.  Already  enough  has  been  whispered 
about  to  fill  a  good  sized  volume,  most  of  it  absolutely 
untrue,  yet  some  of  the  tales,  if  they  have  not  hit  the 
real  facts,  have  come  dangerously  close  to  it. 

Let  the  readers  judge  for  themselves.  Probably 
one  of  the  most  widely  circulated  versions  among  the 
Snyder  County  mountaineers,  the  hardy  dwellers  in 
the  fastnesses  of  the  Shade,  Jack's  and  White  Moun- 
tains, is  the  one  about  to  be  related.  It  is  too  per- 
sonal to  warrant  promiscuous  newspapers  publication, 
and  even  now  all  names  have  been  changed  and  locali- 
ties altered,  but  to  a  Snyder  County  Mountaineer  "all 
things  are  plain".  This  is  the  "authoritative",  confi- 
dential Snyder  County  version,  unabridged : 

To  begin  with,  all  the  mountain  people  know 
Hornbostl  Pfatteicher,  whose  log  cabin  is  situated 
near  the  heading  of  Lost  Creek,  on  the  borders  of 
Snyder  and  Juniata  Counties.  He  has  never  been 
much  of  a  worker,  living  mostly  by  hunting  and  fish- 
ing, prospering  greatly  during  :the  days  when  the 
State  raised  the  bounty  on  foxes  and  wild  cats  to  an 
outrageously  extravagant  figure— but  no  one  cares ; 
let  the  hunter's  license  fund  be  plundered  and  the 
taxpayers  be  jammed. 


124  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

He  was.  also  very  noticeable  during  the  Spring 
and  Fall  forest  fires,  which  never  failed  to  burn  some 
part  of  his  mountain  bailiwick  annually.  He  was 
opposed  to  Forester  Bartschat,  regarding  him  as  too 
alert  and  intuitive,  and  made  valiant  efforts  through 
his  political  bosses  to  have  him  transferred  or  re- 
moved. He  was  regular  in  his  politics,  could  always 
have  a  hearing  at  Harrisburg,  and  though  an  ardent 
fisherman,  saw  no  harm  in  the  dynamiting  or  liming 
of  streams,  and  upheld  the  right  of  "the  interests"  to 
pollute  the  waterways  with  vile  filth  from  paper  mills 
and  tanneries.  In  other  words  he  was,  and  probably 
is,  typical  of  the  professional  mountaineer  that  the 
politicians,  through  the  nefarious  bounty  laws,  have 
maintained  in  the  foretsts,  to  the  detriment  of  re- 
forestation and  wild  life. 

Hornbostl,  about  1915,  was  in  love  with  a  comely 
mountain  girl,  Beulah  Fuchspuhr,  the  belle  of  Lost 
Creek  Valley,  but  he  was  away  from  home  so  much, 
and  so  indifferent,  and  so  much  in  his  cups  when  in 
the  neighborhood  that  she  found  time  to  become 
enamored  of  a  tie-jobber  named  Heinie  Beery,  and 
ran  away  with  him  to  Pittsburg. 

During  the  flu  epidemic,  about  (the  time  of  the 
Armistice,  she  was  seized  with  the  dreaded  malady, 
and  passed  away,  aged  twenty-eight  years. 

Hornbostl  was  in  the  last  draft,  but  the  Armis- 
tice was  signed  before  he  was  called  to  the  colors, 
much  to  the  regret  of  the  better  element,  for  he  was 
the  sole  pro-German  in  the  mountains — a  snake  in  a 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  125 

brood  of  eaglets — and  all  allowed  he  should  have  been 
given  a  chance  to  fight  his  beloved  Kaiser.  Though 
his  name  had  a  Teutonic  flavor,  he  was  only  remote- 
ly of  German  ancestry,  and  should  have  known  better 
than  to  root  for  a  despotism — he,  above  all  others, 
whose  sole  creed  was  personal  liberty  when  it  caime 
to  interfering  with  his  "vested  rights"  of  hunting  and 
fishing  out  of  season,  and  all  other  privileges  of  a 
lawless  backwoodsman. 

After  attending  the  funeral  of  his  wife  in  Pitts- 
burg, he  took  the  train  to  Philadelphia,  and  while 
there  the  news  of  the  Armistice  was  received,  con- 
sequently his  grief  was  assuaged  by  this  very  satisfy- 
ing information.  He  boarded  on  one  of  the  back 
streets  in  the  southern  part  of  the  Quaker  City,  in  a 
rear  room,  which  looked  out  on  an  alley  where  there 
were  still  a  number  of  private  stables  or  mews,  oc- 
cupied for  the  most  part  by  the  horses  and  carriages 
of  the  aristocracy. 

Hornbostl  liked  to  sit  at  the  window  after  his 
day's  work  at  Hog  Island,  smoking  his  stogie  and 
watching  the  handsome  equipages  coming  and  going, 
the  liveried  colored  coachmen,  the  long-tailed  horses, 
with  their  showy  brass  mounted  harness,  with  jingling 
trappings,  the  animated  groups  of  grooms,  stable 
boys  and  ha,ngers-on.  Some  of  the  darkies  kept 
game  roosters,  and  these  occasionally  strutted  out  into 
the  alley  and  crowed  when  there  was  bright  sunshine 
and  the  wind  came  from  the  "Summer  Islands". 

One  afternoon  he  saw  a  strange  spectacle  enacted 


126  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

at  the  stable  opposite  his  window.  A  large  collection 
of  moth-eaten  and  dusty  stuffed  animals  and  birds  were 
unloaded  from  a  dray — stuffed  elks,  horns  and  all, 
several  buffalo  heads,  four  timber  wolves,  with  a  red 
bear  like  they  used  to  have  in  Snyder  County,  a  gold- 
en eagle,  with  tattered  flopping  wings  and  a  great 
black  beast  that  stood  upright  like  a  man  were  the 
most  conspicuous  objects.  A  crowd  of  mostly  Negro 
children  congregated  as  the  half  a  hundred  mangy 
specimens  of  this  "silent  zoo"  became  too  much  for 
Hornbostl,  and  putting  his  stogie  between  his  teeth, 
sallied  out  the  back  door,  hatless  and  in  his  shirt 
sleeves,  a  brawny  rural  giant  who  towered  above  the 
puny  citified  crowd. 

He  was  greatly  interested  in  that  huge  black 
beast  which  stood  upright,  and  could  not  quite  classify 
it,  though  its  hair  was  like  that  of  a  black  bear  in  its 
summer  pelage.  He  sought  out  the  tall  Negro  coach- 
man who  was  in  charge  of  the  stable,  and  asked  why 
a  museum  was  being  unloaded  at  that  particular 
moment. 

"Yer  see  its  jest  dis  way",  said  the  darkey,  confi- 
dentially, "old  Major  Ourry  have  died  an'  'is  heirs  dey 
didn't  want  de  stuff  about,  so  dey  sent  'em  down  to  de 
stable  fer  me  to  put  in  de  empty  box  stalls". 

As  the  conversation  progressed  the  Negro  inti- 
mated that  the  aforementioned  heirs  would  be  glad 
to  sell  any  or  all  of  the  specimens  at  a  reasonable 
figure. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  127 

"I'll  give  you  ten  dollars  for  that  big  animal  that 
looks  like  a  cross  between  a  Snyder  County  black  bear 
and  a  prize  fighter",  said  Hornbostl. 

"The  gorilla,  you  mean",  interposed  the  darkey. 

"Yes,  I  mean  the  gorilla",  answered  the  back- 
woodsman. 

"It's  yours",  said  the  Negro  with  a  grin,  for  he 
was  to  get  half  of  the  proceeds  of  all  sales.  He  won- 
dered why  the  uncouth  stranger  wanted  a  stuffed 
gorilla,  but  of  all  the  animals  in  the  collection,  he  was 
most  pleased  to  get  rid  of  that  hideous  efhgy,  the  man- 
ape  that  might  come  to  life  some  dark  cold  night  and 
raise  ructions  with  the  horses. 

Hornbostl  offered  five  dollars  more  if  the  Negro 
would  box  the  monster,  and  they  finally  arranged  to 
box  it  together,  and  keep  it  in  the  stable  until  he  would 
be  let  out  at  Hog  Island.  Eventually  they  got  it  to 
the  freight  station,  billed  to  Meiserville. 

At  the  time  of  the  purchase  it  is  doubtful  if 
Hornbostl  had  any  definite  idea  of  what  he  was  going 
to  do  with  his  "find",  all  that  came  later.  Hornbostl 
was  glad  to  return  to  his  mountain  heme,  and  sank 
complacently  back  in  his  seat  on  the  11.30  A.  M. 
train  for  Selins  Grove  Junction.  It  was  an  unevent- 
ful trip,  for  he  was  an  unimaginative  person,  taking 
everything  as  a  matter  of  course,  though  he  did  notice 
an  unusually  pretty  high  school  girl  with  a  wonder- 
fully refined  face  and  carriage,  who  got  off  the  train 
at  Dauphin,  and  followed  her  with  his  eyes  as  she 
walked  along  the  street  back  of  the  station  and  across 


128  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  bridge  that  spans  Stony  Creek,  until  the  moving 
train  shut  her  from  view  behind  Fasig's  Tavern.  He 
thought  that  he  had  never  seen  anything  quite  so  love- 
ly before;  if  his  late  sweetheart  who  had  run  away 
had  been  one  quarter  as  beautiful  and  elegant  she 
would  'be  worth  worrying  about. 

He  reached  Meiserville  well  after  <iark,  for  it 
was  almost  the  shortest  day  of  the  year,  and  put  up 
there  for  the  night.  In  the  morning  he  inquired  at 
the  freight  office  for  his  consignment,  but  hardly  ex- 
pected it  that  soon.  He  had  to  wait  three  days  before 
it  arrived,  but  when  it  did,  he  secured  a  team  which 
hauled  it  to  his  mountain  retreat,  depositing  the  crate 
in  front  of  his  door.  After  the  teamster  with  his 
pair  of  heavy  horses,  decked  out  with  jingling  bells, 
departed,  Hornbostl  unpacked  his  treasure,  and  the 
huge,  grinning  man-ape  stood  before  him,  seven  feet 
tall.  It  was  set  up  on  a  platform  with  castors,  so  he 
ran  it  into  the  house,  leaving  it  beside  the  old-fash- 
ioned open  fireplace,  where  he  used  to  sit  opposite 
his  mother  while  they  both  smoked  their  pipes  in  the 
old  days. 

That  night  after  supper,  when  the  raftered  room 
was  dark,  save  for  one  small  glass  kerosene  lamp,  and 
the  fitful  light  of  the  embers,  the  mountaineer  sat  and 
smoked,  trying  to  conjure  up  the  history  of  the  hid- 
eous monster  facing  him  across  the  inglenook.  In- 
stead of  evolving  anything  interesting  or  definite,  the 
evil  genius  of  the  man-ape.  as  the  evening  progressed, 
seemed  to  take  complete  possession  of  him.      He  be- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  129 

came  filled  with  vicious,  revengeful  thoughts;  all  the 
hate  in  his  nature  was  drawn  to  the  surface  as  the 
firelight  flashed  on  the  glass  eyes  and  grinning  teeth 
of  the  monstrous  jungle  king.  All  at  once  the  mael- 
strom of  nasty  thoughts  assumed  coherent  form,  and 
he  realized  why  he  had  brought  the  gorilla  to  Snyder 
County. 

He  had  heard  since  going  to  Philadelphia  that 
the  hated  Heinie  Beery  had  taken  a  tie  contract  on  the 
Blue  Knob,  the  second  highest  mountain  in  Pennsyl- 
vania, somewhere  on  the  line  between  Blair  and  Bed- 
ford Counties.  He  wanted  to  kill  his  rival,  and  now 
would  be  a  chance  to  do  it  and  escape  detection.  He 
would  dress  himself  up  in  the  hide,  and  proceed  over- 
land to  Snyder  Township,  reconnoitre  there,  find  his. 
victim  and  choke  him  to  death,  which  the  Negro 
coachman  had  told  him  was  the  chief  pastime  of  live 
gorillas  in  the  African  wilds. 

Suiting  the  action  to  the  word,  he  drew  his  long 
knife  and  began  cutting  the  heavy  threads  which 
sewed  the  hide  over  the  manikin.  He  soon  had  the 
hide  lying  on  the  deal  floor,and  a  huge  white  statue 
of  lath  and  plaster  of  Paris  stood  before  him,  like  an 
archaic  ghost.  He  did  not  like  the  looks  of  the  mani- 
kin, so  pounded  it  to  a  pulp  with  an  axe  to  lime  his 
kitchen  garden.  The  hide  was  as  stiff  as  a  board,  but 
between  the  heat  of  the  fire  and  bear's  grease  he  had 
it  fairly  pliable  by  morning.  By  the  next  night  it 
was  in  still  better  shape,,  so  he  donned  it  and  sewed 
himself  in.        Physically  he  was  not  unlike  the  man- 


130  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ape,  being  gross  about  the  abdomen,  sloping  shoulder- 
ed and  long-armed,  while  his  prognathous  jaw  and 
retreating  forehead  were  perfect  counterparts  of  the 
gorilla's  physiognomy. 

Arming  himself  with  a  long  iron  wood  staff,  he 
started  on  his  journey  towards  the  Blue  Knob  coun- 
try. He  had  to  cross  the  Christunn  Valley  in  order 
to  get  into  Jack's  Mountain,  which  he  would  follow 
along  the  summits  to  Mount  Union.  It  was  a  dark, 
starless  night,  and  all  went  well  until  he  suddenly 
came  upon  the  scene  of  a  nocturnal  wood  chopping 
operation.  The  wood-cutter,  a  railroader,  had  no 
other  chance  to  lay  in  his  winter's  fuel  supply  than 
after  dark,  and  by  the  light  of  a  lantern  placed  on  a 
large  stump  had  already  stacked  up  a  goodly  lot  of 
cordwood.  His  son,  a  boy  of  fourteen,  was  ranking 
the  wood.  At  the  moment  of  the  gorilla-man's  ap- 
pearance in  the  clearing  the  man  had  gone  to  the 
house  for  a  cup  of  hot  coffee,  leaving  the  lad  alone  at 
his  work.  The  'boy  heard  the  heavy  footfalls  on  the 
chips,  and  thinking  his  father  was  returning,  looked 
up  and  beheld  the  most  hideous  thing  that  his  eyes  had 
ever  looked  upon.  He  uttered  a  shriek  of  terror,  but 
before  he  could  open  his  lips  a  second  time  the  "go- 
rilla" was  upon  him,  slapping  his  mouth  until  the 
blood  flowed,  with  one  brawny  paw,  while  he  wrench- 
ed his  arm  so  severely  with  the  other  that  he  left  it 
limp  and  broken,  hanging  by  his  side.  Then  the 
monster,  looking  back  over  his  shoulder,  loped  off 
into  the  deep  forest  at  the  foot  of  Jack's  Mountain. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  131 

The  boy,  more  dead  than  alive  from  fright,  was 
found  a  few  minutes  later  by  his  father,  to  whom  he 
described  his  terrible  assailant. 

After  that  the  man-ape  was  more  careful  when 
he  traveled,  although  he  was  seen  by  half  a  dozen  per- 
sons until  he  got  safely  to  the  vicinity  of  "the  Mon- 
arch of  Mountains". 

Blue  Knob  is  a  weird  and  impressive  eminence 
around  which  many  legends  cluster,  some  of  them 
dating  back  to  Indian  days.  Its  altitude  at  the  new 
steel  forest  fire  tower  is  3,165  feet  above  tide.  "The 
Lost  Children  of  the  Alleghenies"  is  a  beautiful  word 
picture  of  the  disappearance  of  two  little  tots  on  the 
slopes  of  Blue  Knob,  from  the  gifted  pen  of  Rev. 
James  A.  Sell,  of  Hollidaysburg. 

Heinie  Beery  was  living  alone  in  a  small  shack 
on  Poplar  Run,  a  stream  which  has  its  heading  on  the 
slopes  of  Blue  Knob,  not  far  from  the  home  of  the 
mighty  hunter,  Peter  Leighty.  Since  the  loss  of  his 
wife  he  was  gloomy  and  taciturn,  and  refused  to  live 
with  his  choppers  and  teamsters  in  their  big  camp 
further  down  in  the  hollow. 

While  searching  for  Beery,  the  man-gorilla  was 
seen  by  several  of  the  woodsmen,  and  the  lonely 
camp  was  almost  in  a  panic  by  this  savage  visitation. 
The  man-ape  was  glad  that  his  outlandish  appearance 
struck  terror  to  all  who  saw  him,  else  he  might  have 
been  captured  long  before.  He  watched  his  chance 
to  get  Beery  where  he  wanted  him,  and  in  the  course 
of  several  days  was  rewarded.  Meanwhile  he  had 
to  live  somewhow,  and  at  dead  of  night  broke  into 


132  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

smoke-houses  and  cellars,  eating  raw  eggs  and  butter 
when  hunger  pressed  him  hard.  In  some  ways  it  was 
no  fun  playing  gorilla  on  an  empty  stomach. 

One  Sunday  afternoon  Beery,  after  eating  din- 
ner with  his  crew  at  their  camp  near  the  mouth  of 
the  hollow,  started  on  a  solitary  ramble  up  the  ravine 
which  led  past  the  small  shanty  where  in  the  local 
vernacular,  he  "bached  it"  towards  the  top  of  the 
vast  and  mysterious  Blue  Knob.  Little  did  he  know 
that  the  man-ape  was  waiting  behind  his  cabin,  and 
followed  him  to  the  summit,  which  he  reached  about 
dusk,  and  sat  on  a  flat  rock  on  the  brink  of  a  riifczy 
precipice  watching  the  lights  flashing  up  at  Altoona 
and  Johnstown,  the  long  trains  winding  their  way 
around  Horse  Shoe  Curve.  He  heard  the  brush 
crack  behind  him,  and  looking  around  beheld  the 
hideous  monster  that  he  had  supposed  his  workmen 
had  conjured  up  out  of  brains  addled  by  too  much 
home-brew. 

Heinie  Beery  was  a  fighting  Dutchman,  but  on 
this  occasion  his  curly  black  hair  stood  straight  on 
end,  and  his  dark  florid  face  became  as  ashen  as 
death.  He  lost  his  self-control  for  an  instant,  and 
in  this  fatal  moment  the  giant  "gorilla"  gripped  him 
behind  the  shoulders  and  sent  him  careening  over  the 
precipice  "to  take  a  short  cut  to  Altoona". 

With  a  shout  of  glee  the  monster  turned  on  his 
heel,  his  mission  accomplished,  to  return  along  the 
mountains  and  through  the  forests  to  his  cabin  near 
the  sources  of  Lost  Creek.      He  was  seen  by  a  num- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  133 

ber  of  children  at  Hollidaysburg  and  Frankstown, 
late  at  night,  frightening  them  almost  out  of  their 
wits;  he  terrified  several  parties  of  automobilists 
near  Yellow  Springs ;  he  had  all  of  Snyder  Township 
in  an  uproar  before  he  had  passed  through  it,  but  he 
eventually  got  to  Shade  Mountain  safe  and  sound. 

Once  on  his  home  mountains,  overlooking  Lewis- 
town  Narrows,  a  strange  remorse  overcame  him;  he 
began  to  regret  his  folly,  his  odd  caprice.  He  sat  on 
a  high  rock  near  the  top  of  the  mountain,  much  in  the 
attitude  of  Rodin's  famous  "Penseur",  and  began  to 
sob  and  moan.  It  was  a  still  night,  and  the  track- 
walkers down  in  the  valley  heard  him  and  called  to 
him  through  their  megaphones.  But  the  more  they 
called  the  worse  he  groaned  and  shrieked,  as  if  he 
liked  to  mystify  the  lonely  railroad  men.  At  length 
he  got  up  and  started  along  the  mountain  top,  wail- 
ing and  screaming  like  a  "Token",  until  out  of  hear- 
ing of  the  trackwalkers  and  the  crews  of  waiting 
freight  trains.  He  had  played  a  silly  game,  made  a 
monkey  of  himself  and  was  probably  now  a  murderer 
in  the  bargain.  He  could  hardly  wait  until  he  got  to 
his  cabin  to  rip  off  the  hideous,  ill-smelling  gorilla's 
hide,  and  make  a  bonfire  of  it.  He  hoped  that,  if  no 
evil  consequence  befell  him  as  a  result  of  his  mad 
prank,  he  would  be  a  better  man  in  the  future. 

However,  as  he  neared  his  cabin,  all  his  good  re- 
solves began  to  ooze  out  of  his  finger  tips.  By  the 
time  he  reached  the  miserable  cabin  he  decided  to 
stick  to  his  disguise,  and  continue  the  adventure  to 


134  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  end,  come  what  may.  If  he  would  be  shot  down 
like  a  vile  beast,  it  would  only  be  retribution  for 
Heinie  Beery  hurled  off  the  crag  of  Blue  Knob,  with- 
out a  chance  to  defend  himself.  The  night  was  long; 
he  would  travel  until  morning  and  hide  among  the 
rocks  until  night,  picking  up  what  food  he  could  along 
the  way. 

In  his  northward  journey  he  had  many  thrilling 
experiences,  such  as  crossing  the  covered  bridge  at 
Northumberland  at  midnight,  riding  on  the  trucks  of 
a  freight  train  to  Jersey  Shore  and  frightening  fisher- 
men at  Hagerman's  Run.  When  last  seen  he  was 
near  the  flourishing  town  of  Woolrich,  frightening 
old  and  young,  so  much  so  that  a  young  local  sports- 
man offered  a  reward  of  "five  hundred  dollars  dead, 
one  thousand  dollars  alive",  putting  the  Snyder 
County  gorilla  in  the  same  category  with  the  Passen- 
ger Pigeon  as  a  natural  history  curiosity. 

And  in  this  terrible  disguise  Hornbostl  Pfat- 
teicher  is  expiating  his  sins,  black  as  the  satanic  form 
he  has  assumed,  and  when  his  penance  is  over,  to  be 
shed  for  the  newer  and  better  life. 


X. 

The  Indian's  Twilight 

ACCORDING  to  Daniel  Mark,  born  in  1835r 
(died  1922),  when  the  aged  Seneca  Indian,  Isaac 
Steel,  stood  beside  the  moss-grown  stump  of  the 
giant  "Grandfather  Pine"  in  Sugar  Valley,  in  the  early 
Autumn  of  1892,  he  was  silent  for  a  long  while,  then 
placing  his  hands  over  his  eyes,  uttered  these  words: 
"This  is  the  Indians'  Twilight;  it  explains  many 
things;  I  had  heard  from  from  Billy  Dowdy,  when 
he  returned  to  the  reservation  in  1879,  that  the  tree 
had  been  cut  by  Pardee,  but  as  he  had  not  seen  the 
stump,  and  was  apt  to  be  credulous,  I  had  hoped  that 
the  report  was  untrue ;  the  worst  has  happened." 

Then  the  venerable  Redman  turned  away,  and 
that  same  day  left  the  secluded  valley,  never  to  return. 

The  story  of  the  Grandfather  Pine,  of  Sugar 
Valley,  deserves  more  than  the  merely  passing  men- 
tion already  accorded  it  in  forestry  statistics  and  the 
like.  Apart  from  being  probably  the  largest  white 
or  cork  pine  recorded  in  the  annals  of  Pennsylvania 
sylviculture — breast  high  it  had  to  be  deeply  notched 
on  both  sides,  so  that  a  seven  foot  cross-cut  saw  could 
be  used  on  it — it  was  the  sacred  tree  of  the  Seneca  In- 
dians, and  doubtless  of  the  earlier  tribes  inhabiting  the 
country  adjacent  to  the  Allegheny  Mountains  and  the 
West  Branch  Valley. 

It  was  a  familiar  landmark  for  years,  standing  as 

135 


136  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

it  did  near  the  mouth  of  Chadwick's  Gap,  and  could  be 
seen  towering  above  its  fellows,  from  every  point  in 
Sugar  Valley,  from  Schracktown,  Loganton,  Eastville 
and  Carroll. 

Professor  Ziegler  tells  us  that  the  maximum  or 
heavy  growth  of  white  pine  was  always  on  the  winter 
side  of  the  inland  valleys ;  the  biggest  pines  of  Sugar 
Valley,  Brush  Valley  and  Penn's  Valley  were  all  along 
the  southern  ridges. 

Luther  Guiswhite,  now  a  restauranteur  in  Har- 
risburg,  moving  like  a  voracious  caterpillar  easterly 
along  the  Winter  side  of  Brush  Valley,  gradually  de- 
stroyed grove  after  grove  of  superb  original  white 
pines,  the  Gramley  pines,  near  the  mouth  of  Gramley's 
Gap,  which  Professor  Henry  Meyer  helped  to  "cruise", 
being  the  last  to  fall  before  his  relentless  juggernaut. 

Ario  Pardee's  principal  pineries  were  mostly 
across  the  southern  ridge  of  Nittany  Mountain,  of 
Sugar  Valley,  on  White  Deer  Creek,  but  the  tract  on 
which  the  Grandfather  Pine  stood  ran  like  a  tongue 
out  of  Chadwick's  Gap  into  Sugar  Valley,  almost  to 
the  bank  of  Fishing  Creek.  It  is  a  well  known  story 
that  after  the  mammoth  pine  had  been  cut,  Mike  Court- 
ney, the  lumberman-philanthropist's  woods  boss,  offer- 
ed $100  to  anyone  who  could  transport  it  to  White 
Deer  Creek,  to  be  floated  to  the  big  mill  at  Watson- 
town,  where  Pardee  sawed  111,000,000  feet  of  the 
finest  kind  of  white  pine  between  1868  and  1878. 

The  logs  ,of  this  great  tree  proved  too  huge  to 
handle,  even  after    being    split    asunder    by    blasting 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  137 

powder,  crushing  down  a  number  of  trucks,  and  were 
left  to  rot  where  they  lay.  Measured  when  prone, 
the  stem  was  270  feet  in  length,  and  considering  that 
the  stump  was  cut  breast  high,  the  tree  was  probably 
close  to  276  feet  from  root  to  tip.  The  stump  is  still 
visible  and  well  worthy  of  a  visit. 

In  addition  to  boasting  of  the  biggest  pine  in  the 
Commonwealth,  one  of  the  biggest  red  hemlocks  also 
grew  in  Sugar  Valley,  in  the  centre  of  Kleckner's 
woods,  until  it  was  destroyed  by  bark  peelers  in  1898. 
It  dwarfed  the  other  original  trees  in  the  grove,  mostly 
superb  white  hemlocks,  and  an  idea  of  its  size  can  be 
gained  when  it  is  stated  that  "breast  high"  it  had  a 
circumference  of  30  feet. 

When  Billy  Dowdy,  an  eccentric  Seneca  Indian, 
was  in  Sugar  Valley  he  told  'Squire  Mark  the  story 
of  the  Grandfather  Pine,  then  recently  felled,  and 
while  the  Indian  did  not  visit  the  "fallen  monarch"  on 
that  occasion,  he  refrained  from  so  doing  because  he 
said  he  could  not  bear  the  sight.  The  greatest  dis- 
aster that  had  yet  befallen  the  Indians  had  occurred, 
one  that  they  might  never  recover  from,  and  meant 
their  final  elimination  as  factors  in  American  history. 

Dowdy  seemed  unnerved  when  he  heard  the  story 
of  the  demolition  of  the  colossal  pine,  and  it  took  sev- 
eral visits  to  the  famous  Achenbach  distillery  to 
steady  his  nerves  so  that  he  could  relate  its  history  to 
his  old  and  tried  friend  the  'Squire.  In  the  evening, 
by  the  fireside,  showing  emotion  that  rarely  an  Indian 


138  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

betrays,  he  dramatically  recited  the  story  of  the  fallen 
giant. 

Long  years  ago,  in  the  very  earliest  days  of  the 
world's  history,  the  great  earth  spirit  loved  the  even- 
ing star,  but  it  was  such  an  unusual  and  unnatural  at- 
tachment, and  so  impossible  of  consummation  that  the 
despairing  spirit  wished  to  end  the  cycle  of  existence 
and  pass  into  oblivion  so  as  to  forget  his  hopeless 
love.  Accordingly,  with  a  blast  of  lightning  he  open- 
ed his  side  and  let  his  anguish  flow  away.  The  great 
gaping  wound  is  what  we  of  today  call  Penn's  Cave, 
and  the  never  ending  stream  of  anguish  is  the  wonder- 
ful shadowy  Karoondinha,  now  renamed  John  Penn's 
Creek. 

As  time  went  on  fresh  hopes  entered  the  subter- 
ranean breast  of  the  great  earth  spirit,  and  new  aspira- 
tions towards  the  evening  star  kindled  in  his  heart  of 
hearts.  His  thoughts  and  yearnings  were  constantly 
onward  and  upward  towards  the  evening  star.  He 
sought  to  bridge  the  gulf  of  space  and  distance  that 
separated  him  from  the  clear  pure  light  of  his  inspir- 
ation. He  yearned  to  be  near,  even  if  he  could  not 
possess  the  calm  and  cold  constellation  so  much  be- 
yond him.  He  cried  for  an  answer,  but  none  came, 
and  thought  that  it  was  distance  that  caused  the  cold- 
ness, and  certainly  such  had  caused  the  great  disap- 
pointment in  the  past. 

His  heart  was  set  on  reaching  the  evening  star,  to 
have  propinquity  with  the  heavens.  Out  of  his  strong 
hopes  and  deep  desires  came  a  tall  and  noble  tree,  grow- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  139 

ing  in  eastern  Sugar  Valley,  a  king  among  its  kindred, 
off  there  facing  the  shining,  beaming  star.  This  tree 
would  be  the  symbol  of  earth's  loftiest  and  highest 
aspirations,  the  bridge  between  the  terrestrial  and  the 
celestial  bodies.  It  was  earth's  manliest,  noblest  and 
cleanest  aspiration,  standing  there  erect  and  immobile, 
the  heavy  plates  of  the  bark  like  gilt-bronze  armor,  the 
sparse  foliage  dark  and  like  a  warrior's  crest. 

The  Indians,  knowing  full  well  the  story  of  the 
hopeless  romance  of  the  earth  spirit  and  the  evening 
star,  or  Venus,  as  the  white  men  called  it,  venerated 
the  noble  tree  as  the  connecting  link  between  two  man- 
ifestations of  sublimity.  They  only  visited  its  proxim- 
ity on  sacred  occasions  because  they  knew  that  the 
grove  over  which  it  dominated  was  the  abode  of 
spirits,  like  all  groves  of  trees  of  exceptional  size  and 
venerable  age. 

The  cutting  away  of  most  of  the  bodies  of  origi- 
nal pines  has  circumscribed  the  abode  of  the  spiritual 
agencies  until  they  are  now  almost  without  a  lodge- 
ment, and  must  go  wailing  about  cold  and  homeless 
until  the  end  of  time,  unless  spiritual  insight  can 
touch  our  materialistic  age  and  save  the  few  remain- 
ing patches  of  virgin  trees  standing  in  the  valley  of 
the  Karoondinha,  the  "Stream  of  the  Never  Ending 
Love",  now  known  by  the  prosaic  cognomen  of  "Penn's 
Valley". 

The  Tom  Motz  tract  is  no  more,  the  Wilkenblech, 
the  Bowers  and  the  Meyer  groves  are  all  but  annihi- 
lated.     Where  will  the  spirits  rest  when  the  last  orig- 


140  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

inal  white  pine  has  been  ripped  into  boards  at  The 
Forks,  now  called  Coburn?  No  wonder  that  Artist 
Shearer  exclaimed,  "The  world  is  aesthetically  dead"! 

The  Indians  were  greatly  dismayed  at  the  incur- 
sion of  white  men  into  their  mountain  fastnesses,  so 
contrary  to  prophecy  and  solemn  treaties,  and  no 
power  seemed  to  stem  them  as  they  swept  like  a  plague 
from  valley  to  valley,  mountain  to  mountain.  The 
combined  military  strategy  and  bravery  of  Lenni- 
Lenape,  Seneca,  Cayuga,  Tuscarora  and  Shawnee  fail- 
ed before  their  all-conquering  advance.  How  to  turn 
back  this  white  peril  occupied  the  mind  and  heart  of 
every  Indian  brave  and  soothsayer. 

One  evening  just  as  Venus  in  the  east  was  shed- 
ding her  tranquil  glory  over  the  black  outline  of  the 
pine  covered  ranges  of  the  Nittanies,  a  mighty  council 
of  warriors  and  wise  men,  grave  and  reverent,  assem- 
bled under  the  Grandfather  Pine.  Hitherto  victory, 
while  it  had  rested  with  the  white  invaders,  had  not 
been  conclusive ;  there  was  still  hope,  and  the  Indians 
meant  to  battle  to  the  end. 

It  was  during  this  epochal  conclave  that  a  mes- 
sage was  breathed  out  of  the  dark  shaggy  pigeon- 
haunted  tops  of  the  mighty  tree.  Interpreted  it  meant 
that  the  Indian  braves  and  wise  men  were  reminded 
that  this  great  pine  reached  from  heaven  to  earth,  and 
by  its  means  their  ancestors  used  to  climb  up  and  down 
between  the  two  regions.  In  a  time  of  doubt  and 
anxiety  like  this,  the  multitudes,  conferring  beneath 
the  tree,  were  invited  to  ascend  to  hold  a  council  with 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  141 

the  stars,  to  exchange  views  and  receive  advice  as  to 
how  the  insidious  white  invader  could  be  kept  in 
proper  bounds,  and  to  preserve  the  glory  and  historic 
dignity  of  the  Indian  races.  The  stars,  which  were 
the  spirits  of  undefeated  warriors  and  hunters  and 
huntresses  of  exceptional  prowess — their  light  was  the 
shimmer  of  their  silvery  targets — had  always  been  the 
allies  of  the  red  men. 

In  solemn  procession  the  pick  of  the  assemblage 
of  Indian  warriors  and  wise  men  ascended  the  mighty 
tree,  up,  up,  up,  until  their  forms  became  as  tiny 
specks,  and  disappeared  in  the  dark  lace-like  branches 
which  merged  with  the  swart  hues  of  the  evening 
heavens.  They  set  no  time  for  their  return,  for  they 
were  going  from  the  finite  to  the  infinite,  but  they 
would  be  back  to  their  beloved  hills  and  valleys  in 
plenty  of  time,  and  with  added  courage  and  skill,  to 
end  the  regime  of  the  pale  faced  foes. 

Every  wife  and  mother  and  sweetheart  of  a  war- 
rior who  took  this  journey  was  overjoyed  at  the  privi- 
lege accorded  her  loved  one,  and  none  begrudged  being 
left  behind  to  face  the  enemy  under  impaired  leader- 
ship, or  the  risk  of  massacre,  as  in  due  course  of  time 
the  elite  would  return  from  above  and  rescue  them 
from  their  cruel  tormentors. 

Evidently  out  of  space,  out  of  time,  was  almost 
the  equivalent  of  "out  of  sight,  out  of  mind"  for  all 
who  had  witnessed  the  chosen  band  of  warriors  and 
warlocks  ascend  the  pine,  even  the  tiny  babes,  reached 
maturity  and  passed  away,  and  yet  they  had  not  re- 


142  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

turned  or  sent  a  message.  The  year  that  the  stars  fell, 
in  1833,  brought  hopes  to  the  anxious  ones,  but  never 
a  falling  star  was  found  to  bring  tidings  from  that 
bourne  above  the  clouds. 

Generation  after  generation  came  and  went,  and 
the  ablest  leaders  still  were  absent  counseling  with  the 
stars.  Evidently  there  was  much  to  learn,  much  to 
overcome,  before  they  were  fully  fledged  to  return  and 
battle  successfully. 

The  succeeding  generations  of  Indian  braves 
fought  the  white  foes  as  best  they  could,  yet  were  ever 
being  pushed  back,  and  they  were  long  since  banished 
from  Sugar  Valley  where  grew  the  Grandfather  Pine. 
Occasionally  those  gifted  with  historic  lore  and 
prophecy  journeyed  to  the  remote  valley  to  view  the 
pine,  but  there  were  no  signs  of  a  return  of  the  absent 
chieftains. 

It  was  a  long  and  weary  wait.  Were  they  really 
forsaken,  or  were  there  affairs  of  great  emergency  in 
the  realm  of  the  evening  star  that  made  them  tarry  so 
long?  They  might  be  surprised  on  their  return  to 
find  their  hunting  territories  the  farms  of  the  white 
men,  their  descendants  banished  to  arid  reservations 
on  La  Belle  Riviere  and  beyond.  They  had  left  in  the 
twilight;  they  would  find  the  Indians'  Twilight  every- 
where over  the  face  of  the  earth.  It  was  a  sad  pros- 
pect, but  they  never  gave  up  their  secret  hope  that 
the  visitors  to  strange  lands  would  return,  and  lead  a 
forlorn  hope  to  victory. 

Then  came  upon  the  scene  the  great  lumberman, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  143 

Ario  Pardee.  The  bed  of  White  Deer  Creek  was 
"brushed  out"  from  Schreader  Spring  to  Hightown, 
to  float  the  millions  of  logs  that  would  pile  up  wealth 
and  fame  for  this  modern  Croesus.  What  was  one 
tree,  more  ,or  less — none  were  sacred,  and  instead  of 
being  the  abode  of  spirits,  each  held  the  almighty  dol- 
lar in  its  heart. 

Pardee  himself  was  a  man  of  dreams  and  an 
idealist,  vide  Lafayette  College,  and  the  portrait  of  his 
refined  and  spiritual  face  by  Eastman  Johnson,  in  the 
rotunda  of  "Old  Pardee".  Yet  it  was  too  early  a  day 
to  care  for  trees,  or  to  select  those  to  be  cut,  those  to 
be  spared;  the  biggest  tree,  or  the  tree  where  the  buffa- 
loes rubbed  themselves,  were  alike  before  the  axe  and 
cross-cut ;  all  must  fall,  and  the  piratical-looking  Black- 
beard  Courtney  was  the  agent  to  do  it. 

Perhaps  trees  take  their  revenge,  like  in  the  case 
of  the  Vicar's  Oak  in  Surrey,  as  related  by  the  diarest 
Evelyn — shortly  after  it  was  felled  one  of  the  choppers 
lost  an  eye  and  the  other  broke  a  leg.  Mike  Courtney, 
it  is  reported,  ended  his  days,  not  in  opulent  ease  lolling 
in  a  barouche  in  Fairmount  Park  with  Hon.  Levi 
Mackey,  as  had  been  his  wont,  but  by  driving  an  ox- 
team  in  the  wilds  of  West  Virginia! 

The  Grandfather  Pine  was  brought  to  earth  after 
two  days  of  chopping  by  an  experienced  crew  of 
woodsmen;  when  it  fell  they  say  the  window  lights 
rattled  clear  across  the  valley  in  Logansville  (now 
Loganton).  It  lay  there  prone,  abject,  yet  "terrible 
still  in  death",  majestic  as  it  sprawled  in  the  bed  that 


144  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

had  been  prepared  for  it,  with  an  open  swath  of  forest 
about  that  it  had  maimed  and  pulled  down  in  its  fall. 

Crowds  flocked  from  all  over  the  adjacent  valleys 
to  see  the  fallen  monarch,  like  Arabs  viewing  the  life- 
less carcass  of  a  mighty  lion  whose  roar  had  filled 
them  with  terror  but  a  little  while  before. 

Then  came  the  misfortune  that  the  tree  was  found 
to  be  commercially  unprofitable  to  handle,  and  it  was 
left  for  the  mould  and  the  moss  and  the  shelf-fungi  to 
devour,  for  little  hemlocks  to  sprout  upon. 

Billy  Dowdy  was  in  the  West  Branch  Valley 
trying  to  rediscover  the  Bald  Eagle  Silver  Mine — old 
Uriah  Fisher,  of  the  Seventh  Cavalry,  can  tell  you  all 
about  it — when  the  story  was  told  at  "Uncle  Dave" 
Cochran's  hotel  at  Pine  Station  that  Mike  Courtney 
had  conquered  the  Grandfather  Pine.  It  is  said  that 
a  giass  ol  the  best  Reish  whiskey  fell  from  his  nerve- 
less fingers  when  he  heard  the  news.  He  suddenly 
lof-l  all  interest  in  the  silver  mine  on  the  Bald  Eagle 
Mountain,  which  caused  him  to  be  roundly  berated 
by  his  employers,  and  dropping  everything,  he  made 
for  Sugar  Valley  to  verify  the  terrible  story.  'Squire 
Mark  assured  him  that  it  was  only  too  true;  he  had 
strolled  over  to  Chadwick's  Gap  the  previous  Sunday 
and  saw  the  prostrate  Titan  with  his  own  eyes. 

The  Indians'  twilight  had  come,  for  now  the 
picked  band  of  warriors  and  warlocks  must  forever 
linger  in  the  star-belt,  unless  the  earth  spirit,  out  of 
his  great  love,  again  heaved  such  a  tree  from  his  in- 
most creative  consciousness. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  145 

Somtimes  the  Indians  notice  an  untoward  bright 
twinkling  of  the  stars,  the  evening  star  in  particular, 
and  they  fancy  it  to  be  reassuring  messages  from  their 
marooned  leaders  not  to  give  up  the  faith,  that  some- 
times they  can  return  rich  in  wisdom,  fortified  in  cour- 
age, ready  to  drive  the  white  men  into  the  sea,  and  over 
it  to  the  far  Summer  Islands.  When  the  stars  fell  on 
the  thirteenth  of  November,  1833,  it  was  thought  that 
the  starry  hosts  were  coming  down  en  masse  to  fight 
their  battles,  but  not  a  single  steller  ally  ever  reported 
for  duty. 

Old  John  Engle,  mighty  Nimrod  of  Brungard's 
Church  (Sugar  Valley),  on  the  nights  of  the  North- 
ern Lights,  or  as  the  Indians  called  them,  "The  Danc- 
ing Ghosts",  used  to  hear  a  strange,  weird,  unaccount- 
able ringing  echo,  like  exultant  shouting,  over  in  the 
region  of  the  horizon,  beyond  the  northernmost 
Allegheny  ridges.  He  would  climb  the  "summer" 
mountain  all  alone,  and  sit  on  the  highest  summits, 
thinking  that  the  wolves  had  come  back,  for  he  wanted 
to  hear  them  plainer.  In  the  Winter  of  1859  the  dis- 
tant acclamation  continued  for  four  successive  nights, 
and  the  Aurora  covered  the  entire  vault  of  heaven  with 
a  preternatural  brilliance.  Great  bars  of  intensely 
bright  light  shot  out  from  the  northern  horizon  and 
broke  in  mid-sky,  and  filled  the  southern  skies  with 
their  incandescence.  The  sky  was  so  intensely  red  that 
it  flared  as  one  great  sheet  of  fire,  and  engulfed  the 
night  with  an  awful  and  dismal  red  light.       Reflected 


146 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


on  the  snow,  it  gave  the  earth  the  appearance  of  being 
clothed  in  scarlet. 

The  superstitious  Indians,  huddled,  cold  and  half- 
clad,  and  half-starved  in  the  desert  reservations,  when 
they  saw  the  fearful  glow  over  beyond  Lake  Erie, 
and  heard  the  distant  cadences,  declared  that  they 
were  the  signal  fires  and  the  cries  for  vengeance  of 
the  Indian  braves  imprisoned  up  there  in  star-land, 
calling  defiance  to  the  white  hosts,  and  inspiration  to 
their  own  depleted  legions,  the  echo  of  the  day  of  reck- 
oning, when  the  red  men  would  come  to  their  own 
again,  and  finding  their  lost  people,  lead  them  to  a  new 
light,  out  of  the  Indians'  twilight. 


XL 

Hugh  Gibson's  Captivity 

AFTER  the  brutal  massacre,  by  the  Indians,  of 
the  Woolcomber  family,  came  fresh  rumors 
of  fresh  atrocities  in  contemplation,  conse- 
quently it  was  considered  advisable  to  gather  the 
women  and  children  of  the  surrounding  country 
within  the  stockade  of  Fort  Robinson,  under  a  strong 
guard,  while  the  bulk  of  the  able-bodied  men  went 
out  in  companies  to  reap  the  harvest.  Some  of  the 
harvesters  were  on  guard  part  of  the  time,  conse- 
quently all  the  men  of  the  frontier  community  per- 
formed a  share  of  the  guard  duty. 

Among  the  most  energetic  of  the  guardsmen  was 
young  Hugh  Gibson,  son  of  the  Widow  Gibson,  a 
name  that  has  later  figured  prominently  in  the  public 
eye  in  the  person  of  the  Secretary  of  the  American 
Legion  at  Brussels,  who  endured  a  trying  experience 
during  the  period  of  the  over-running  of  the  Belgian 
Paris  by  the  hordes  of  blood-thirsty  Huns,  as  rapa- 
cious and  merciless  as  the  red  men  of  Colonial  Penn- 
sylvania. 

Hugh  Gibson,  of  Colonial  Pennsylvania,  was 
under  twenty,  slim  and  dark,  and  very  anxious  to 
make  a  good  record  as  guardian  of  so  many  precious 
lives.  As  days  wore  on,  and  no  Indian  attacks  were 
made,    and    no    fresh    atrocities    committed    by    the 

147 


148  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

blood-loving  monster,  Cooties,  the  terror  of  the  lower 
Juniata  Valley,  even  the  punctilious  Gibson  relaxed  a 
trifle  in  the  rigidity  of  his  guardianship. 

It  was  near  the  end  of  the  harvest  when  the 
majority  of  the  men  announced  that  they  would  re- 
main away  over  night  at  a  large  clearing  on  Buffalo 
Creek,  as  it  would  be  difficult  to  reach  the  fort  by 
nightfall  and  be  back  at  work  by  daybreak  the  next 
morning.  Hugh  Gibson  was  made  captain  of  the 
guard  and  placed  in  charge  of  the  safety  of  the  stock- 
ade full  of  refugees. 

All  went  well  with  Gibson  and  his  fellow  pickets 
until  about  midnight,  when  the  Indians  launched  a 
gas  attack.  The  wind  being  propitious,  they  built  a 
fire,  into  which  they  stirred  a  large  number  of  oak 
balls,  and  the  fumes  suddenly  engulfing  the  garrison, 
all  became  very  drowsy,  with  the  result  that  the  nim- 
ble redskins  rushed  in  on  the  defenders,  who  were 
gaping  about,  thinking  that  there  must  be  a  forest 
fire  somewhere,  but  too  dazed  and  semi-conscious  to 
think  very  succinctly  about  anything. 

When  the  guards  saw  that  it  was  red  men,  and 
not  red  fire,  they  roused  themselves  as  best  they 
could,  and  fought  bravely  to  save  the  fort  and  its 
inmates.  By  throwing  firebrands  into  the  stockade, 
the  women  and  children,  and  cattle,  were  stampeded, 
and  by  a  common  impulse  burst  open  the  gates,  and 
dashed  past  the  defenders,  headed  for  the  creek,  to 
escape  the  threatened  conflagrations.  Then  the  In- 
dians closed  in,  and  in  the  darkness,  amid  the  crack- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  149 

ling  of  the  fire — for  a  forest  fire  was  now  in  progress, 
and  part  of  the  stockade  wall  was  blazing,  amid  war 
whoops  and  shrieks  of  hatred  and  agony,  the  bark- 
ing of  dogs,  the  bellowing  of  cattle  running  amuck, 
rifle  shots,  the  crack  of  tomahawks  on  defenseless 
skulls,  the  midnight  air  resounded  with  uncouth  and 
horrible  medley. 

The  fight  continued  all  night  long,  until  the  ap- 
proach of  dawn,  and  the  danger  of  the  forest  fire  cut- 
ting them  off  made  the  Indians  decamp.  They  did 
not  stop  until  in  the  big  beaver  meadow  at  Wildcat 
Valley,  they  paused  long  enough  to  take  stock  of 
prisoners,  and  to  count  wounded  and  missing.  They 
had  captured  an  even  dozen  prisoners,  and  as  the  light 
grew  stronger  they  noticed  that  they  had  one  male 
captive,  his  face  almost  unrecognizable  with  soot,  and 
mostly  stripped  of  clothing,  who  proved  to  be  none 
other  than  the  zealous  Hugh   Gibson  himself. 

It  was  a  strange  company  that  moved  in  single 
file  towards  the  Alleghenies,  eleven  women  and  one 
man,  all  tied  together  with  leather  thongs,  like  a  party 
of  Alpinists,  one  after  another,  not  descending  a 
monarch  of  mountains,  but  descending  into  captivity, 
into  the  valley  of  the  shadow,  The  Indians  were 
jubilant  over  the  personnel  of  their  captives.  In 
addition  to  Hugh  Gibson,  late  captain  of  the  guard, 
they  had  taken  Elsbeth  Henry,  daughter  of  the 
most  influential  of  the  settlers,  a  girl  of  rare  beauty 
and   charm,    who   had    enjoyed   some   educational   ad- 


150  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

vantages    among    the    Moravians    at    Nazareth,    the 
pioneers  of  women's  education  in  America. 

Gibson  had  for  a  year  past,  ever  since  he  first 
appeared  in  the  vicinity  of  Fort  Robinson,  admired 
the  uncommonly  attractive  girl,  and  being  ambitious 
in  many  ways,  aspired  to  her  hand.  She  had  never 
treated  him  with  much  consideration,  except  to  be 
polite  to  him,  but  she  was  that  to  everyone,  and  could 
not  be  otherwise,  being  a  happy  blend  of  Huguenot 
and  Bohemian  ancestry. 

The  minute  that  Gibson  saw  that  Elsbeth  was 
his  fellow  prisoner  he  forgot  the  chagrin  at  being 
the  sole  male  captive,  and  congratulated  himself  in 
secret  on  the  good  fortune  that  would  make  him,  for 
a  year  or  more,  the  daily  companion  of  the  object  of 
his  admiration.  He  would  redeem  the  humiliation 
of  this  capture  by  staging  a  sensational  double 
escape,  and  then,  after  freeing  the  maiden,  she 
could  not  fail  to  love  him  and  agree  to  become  his  wife. 
He  was,  therefore,  the  most  cheerful  of  prisoners,  and 
whistled  and  sang  Irish  songs  as  he  marched  along  at 
the  tail  end  of  the  long  line  of  captives. 

It  seemed  as  if  they  were  being  taken  on  a  long 
journey,  and  he  surmised  that  the  destination  was  Fort 
Duquesne,  to  be  delivered  over  to  the  French,  where 
rewards  would  be  paid  for  each  as  hostages.  He 
could  see  by  the  deference  paid  to  Elsbeth  Henry 
that  the  redmen  recognized  that  they  had  a  prisoner  of 
quality,  and  as  she  walked  along,  away  ahead  of  him, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  151 

whenever  there  was  a  turn  in  the  path,  he  would  note 
her  youthful  beauty  and  charm. 

She  was  not  very  tall,  but  was  gracefully  and 
firmly  built.  Her  most  noticeable  features  were  the 
intense  blackness  of  her  soft  wavy  hair,  and  the 
whiteness  of  her  skin,  with  minute  blue  veins  showing, 
gave  her  complexion  a  blue  whiteness,  the  color  of 
mother  of  pearl  almost,  and  Gibson,  being  a  somewhat 
poetical  Ulster  Scot,  compared  her  to  an  evening  sky, 
with  her  red  lips,  like  a  streak  of  flame,  across  the 
mother  of  pearl  firmament,  her  downcast  eyes,  like  twin 
stars  just  appearing ! 

The  further  on  the  party  marched  the  harder  it 
was  going  to  be  to  successfully  bring  her  back  in  safety 
to  the  Juniata  country,  through  a  hostile  Indian  terri- 
tory, for  he  had  not  the  slightest  doubt  that  he  would 
outwit  the  clumsy-witted  redmen  and  escape  with  her. 
It  might  be  best  to  strike  north  or  northwest,  out  of 
the  seat  of  hostilities,  and  make  a  home  for  his 
bride-to-be  in  the  wilderness  along  Lake  Erie,  and  never 
take  her  back  to  her  parents.  But  then  there  was  his 
mother;  how  could  he  desert  her?  He  must  go  back 
with  Elsbeth,  run  all  risks,  once  he  had  escaped  and 
freed  her  from  her  inconsiderate  captors. 

After  a  few  days  he  learned  that  the  permanent 
camp  was  to  be  on  the  Pucketa,  in  what  is  now  West- 
moreland County.  Cooties  was  located  there,  and 
since  his  unparalleled  success  in  massacring  whole 
families  of  whites,  he  was  apparently  again  in  favor 
with  the  Indian  tribal  chieftains.       He  was  to  take 


152  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

charge  of  the  prisoners,  and  when  ready,  would  lead 
them  to  Fort  Duquesne,  or  possibly  to  some  point 
further  up  La  Belle  Riviere,  to  turn  them  over  to  the 
French,  who  would  hold  them  as  hostages. 

It  was  in  the  late  afternoon  when  the  party  filed 
into  Cooties'  encampment  ,at  the  Blue  Spring,  near 
the  headwaters  of  the  beautiful  Pucketa.  Cooties 
had  been  apprised  of  their  coming,  and  had  painted 
his  face  for  the  occasion,  but  meanwhile  had  consumed 
a  lot  of  rum,  and  was  beastly  drunk,  so  much  so  that 
in  his  efforts  to  drive  the  punkis  off  his  face,  which 
seemed  to  have  a  predilection  for  the  grease  paint,  he 
smeared  the  moons  and  stars  into  an  unrecognizable 
smudge  all  over  his  saturnine  countenance. 

As  he  sat  there  on  a  huge  dark  buffalo  robe,  a 
rifle  lying  before  him,  a  skull  filled  with  smoking 
tobacco  on  one  side,  and  a  leather  jug  of  rum  on  the 
other,  smoking  a  long  pipe,  his  head  bobbing  unsteadily 
on  its  short  neck,  he  made  a  picture  never  to  be  for- 
gotten. The  slayer  of  the  Sheridan  family  was  at 
best  an  ugly  specimen  of  the  Indian  race.  He  was 
short,  squat — Gibson  described  him  as  "sawed  off"; 
his  complexion  was  very  dark,  his  lips  small  and  thin, 
his  nose  was  broad  and  flat,  his  eyes  full  and  blood- 
shot, and  his  shaven  head  was  covered  with  a  red  cap, 
almost  like  a  Turk's  fez. 

He  was  too  intoxicated  to  indicate  his  pleasure,  if 
he  felt  any,  at  the  arrival  of  the  prisoners.  In  front 
of  where  he  sat  were  the  embers  of  a  campfire,  as  the 
weather — it  was  early  in  March — was  still  very  cold. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  153 

He  had  the  prisoners  lined  up  in  front  of  him  beyond 
the  coals,  while  he  squatted  on  his  rug,  eyeing  them  as 
carefully  as  his  bleared,  inebriated  vision  would  per- 
mit. Calling  to  several  of  his  henchmen,  he  had  them 
fetch  fresh  wood  and  pile  it  beside  the  embers,  as  if  a 
big  bonfire  was  to  be  started  later, 

Just  as  they  were  in  the  midst  of  bringing  the 
wood,  a  group  of  six  stalwart  Indians  rushed  on  the 
scene,  literally  dragging  a  rather  good-looking,  dark- 
haired  white  woman  of  about  thirty  years,  whose  face 
showed  every  signs  of  intense  terror.  From  words  that 
he  could  understand,  and  the  grestures,  Gibson  made 
out  that  this  woman  had  belonged  to  another  batch  of 
prisoners,  but  before  she  could  be  delivered  at  Shan- 
nopin's  Town  had  somehow  made  her  escape. 

To  deliver  a  body  of  prisoners  short  one  of  the 
quota  had  brought  some  criticism  on  Cooties,  and  he 
was  in  an  ugly  frame  of  mind  when  she  -was  brought 
before  him.  There  was  an  ash  pole  near  the  wood 
pile,  to  which  prisoners  were  tied  while  being  inter- 
rogated, and  Cooties  ordered  that  the  unfortunate 
woman  should  be  strapped  to  it.  The  Indian  war- 
riors, needless  to  say,  made  a  thorough  job  and  bound 
her  to  it  securely,  hand  and  foot. 

Though  she  saw  twelve  or  more  white  persons, 
the  bound  woman  never  said  a  word,  and  the  captives 
from  Fort  Robinson  and  other  places  were  too  terror- 
stricken  to  address  a  word  to  her.  They  stared  at  her 
with  that  look  of  dumb  helplessness  that  a  flock  of 
sheep  assume  when  peering  through  the  bars  of  their 


154  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

fold  at  a  farmer  in  the  act  of  butchering  one  of  their 
number.  Sympathy  they  may  have  felt,  but  to  ex- 
press it  in  words  would  have  availed  nothing. 

Once  tied  to  the  tree,  Cooties  ordered  that  the 
wood  be  piled  about  her  feet.  It  was  ranked  until 
it  came  almost  to  her  waist.  Then  the  cruel  warrior 
turned  to  his  victim,  saying  to  her  in  German,  ''It's 
going  to  be  a  cold  night ;  I  think  you  can  warm  me  up 
very  nicely." 

Then  he  grinned  and  looked  at  each  of  his  other 
prisoners  menacingly.  Silas  Wright  in  his  excellent 
"History  of  Perry  County"  thus  quotes  Hugh  Gibson 
in  describing  the  scene  then  enacted :  "All  the  pris- 
oners in  the  neighborhood  were  collected  to  be  spec- 
tators of  the  death  by  torture  of  a  poor,  unhappy 
woman,  a  fellow-prisoner  who  had  escaped,  and  been 
recaptured.  They  stripped  her  naked,  tied  her  to  a 
post  and  pierced  her  with  red  hot  irons,  the  flesh 
sticking  to  the  irons  at  every  touch.  She  screamed 
in  the  most  pitiful  manner,  and  cried  for  mercy,  but 
the  ruthless  barbarians  were  deaf  to  her  agonizing 
shrieks  and  prayers,  and  continued  their  horrid  cruelty 
until  death  came  to  her  relief." 

After  this  fiendish  episode,  the  Fort  Robinson 
prisoners  were  sick  at  heart  and  in  body  for  days, 
and  most  of  them  would  have  dropped  in  their  tracks 
if  they  had  been  compelled  to  resume  the  long,  tedious 
western  journey. 

It  appeared  that  in  the  foray  on  Fort  Robinson 
one  young  Indian  had  been  slain;  rumor  among  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  155 

Indians  had  it  that  he  had  been  shot  by  mistake  by 
a  member  of  his  own  party.  At  any  rate  his  parents, 
who  lived  near  Cooties'  camp-ground,  took  his  end 
very  hard,  and  the  squaw,  who  was  Cooties'  sister, 
demanded  the  adoption  of  Hugh  Gibson  to  take  the 
place  of  her  lost  warrior  son.  This  was  a  good  point 
for  Gibson,  although  the  warrior's  father,  Busqueetam, 
acted  very  coldly  towards  him,  and  he  feared  he  mi^ht 
some  day,  in  a  fit  of  revenge  and  hate,  take  his  life. 
However,  the  young  white  man,  by  making  every 
effort  to  help  his  Indian  foster  parents,  who  were  very 
feeble  and  unable  to  work,  won  their  confidence,  and 
also  that  of  Cooties,  who  requisitioned  him  to  do  all 
sorts  of  errands  and  work  about  the  encampment. 

One  day  Busqueetam  was  in  a  terrible  state  of 
excitement.  His  spotted  pony,  the  only  equine  in  the 
camp,  and  the  one  that  he  expected  to  give  to  Cooties 
to  ride  with  chiefly  dignity  through  the  portals  of  the 
Fort  had  strayed  off  in  the  night. 

Most  of  the  Fort  Robinson  and  other  prisoners 
who  had  been  brought  in  from  various  directions 
since  their  arrival,  to  make  a  great  caravan  of  captives 
to  impress  the  commanders  at  Shannopin's  Town,  like 
a  Roman  triumph,  were  allowed  their  liberty  during 
the  daytime.  At  night  they  were  all  tied  together 
as  they  lay  about  the  campfire,  not  far  from  the  charred 
stump  of  the  ash  pole  where  the  poor  white  woman 
had  been  burned  to  death,  and  where  the  small  Indian 
dogs  were  constantly  sniffing.  There  were  about 
twenty-five   prisoners,    all   told,    and   with   these   were 


156  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

tied  about  half  a  dozen  guards,  and  all  lay  down  in  a 
circle  about  the  fire,  guards  and  prisoners  sleeping  at 
the  same  time.  It  was  a  different  system  from  that 
of  the  whites,  for  if  a  prisoner  got  uneasy  or  tried  to 
get  up,  he  or  she  would  naturally  pull  on  the  leather 
thongs,  and  rouse  the  guardians  and  other  prisoners. 
The  thongs  were  around  both  wrists,  so  a  prisoner  was 
tied  to  the  person  on  either  side. 

Hugh  Gibson  managed  to  have  a  few  words  with 
Elsbeth,  when  he  heard  of  the  horse's  disappearance. 
Much  as  he  would  like  to  have  talked  to  her,  few  words 
passed  between  them  during  the  captivity.  Elsbeth 
was  naturally  reserved,  and  had  never  known  Hugh 
well  before,  and  he  was  playing  for  big  stakes,  and 
saw  how  the  Indians  resented  any  hobnobbing  among 
their  prisoners.  He  managed  to  whisper  to  her  that 
he  would  volunteer  to  hunt  for  Busqueetam's  missing 
pony,  but  would  return  at  night  and  wait  for  her  in 
the  Panther  Glade,  a  dense  Rhododendron  thicket 
through  which  they  had  passed  on  their  way  to  the 
campground;  that  she  should  gnaw  herself  free  with 
her  teeth,  and  that  done,  with  her  natural  agility  and 
moccasiried  feet,  could  nimbly  spring  away  into  the 
darkness  and  escape  to  him.  He  thought  he  knew 
where  the  pony  was  hiding,  and  she  could  ride  on  the 
animal  to  civilization.  And  now  let  Gibson  tell  the 
adventure  in  his  own  words: 

"At  last  a  favorable  opportunity  to  gain  my  lib- 
erty. Busqueetam  lost  a  horse  and  sent  me  to  hunt 
him.      After  hunting  some  time,  I  came  home  and  told 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  157 

him  I  had  discovered  his  tracks  at  some  considerable 
distance,  and  that  I  thought  I  would  find  him;  that  I 
would  take  my  gun  and  provisions  and  would  hunt 
him  for  three  or  four  days,  and  if  I  could  kill  a  deer 
or  a  bear,  I  would  pack  home  the  meat  on  the  horse." 
Hugh  Gibson,  the  privileged  captive,  strolled  out 
of  camp  with  a  business-like  expression  on  his  lean 
face,  and  carrying  Cooties'  favorite  rifle.  He  took  a 
long  circle  about  through  the  deep  forest,  and  at  dark 
was  ensconced  in  the  Panther  Glade,  to  wait  the  fate- 
ful moment  when  Elsbeth,  his  beloved,  would  come 
to  him,  and  as  his  promised  wife,  he  would  lead  her 
to  liberty. 

It  was  a  cold  night,  and  his  teeth  chattered  as  he 
squatted  among  the  rhododendrons  waiting  and  list- 
ening. The  wolves  were  howling,  and  he  wondered  if 
the  girl  Would  feel  afraid ! 

At  the  usual  time  the  various  prisoners  and  their 
guards  were  lashed  together,  and  lay  down  for  their 
rest  around  the  embers  of  the  campfire.  Most  of  them 
were  short  of  coverings,  so  they  huddled  close  together. 
Not  so  Elsbeth,  for  Cooties  looked  after  her  and  pro- 
vided her  with  four  buffalo  robes,  which  she  would  have 
loved  dearly  to  share  with  her  less  favored  fellow  pris- 
oners, but  they  would  not  allow  it.  The  Indians  made 
the  captives  work  hard  during  the  day  cutting  wood, 
dressing  furs  and  pounding  corn.  They  did  not  feed 
them  any  too  well,  as  game  was  scarce  and  ammunition 
scarcer,  so  all  were  tired  when  they  lay  down  by  the 
campfire's  soothing  glow. 


158  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

One  by  one  they  fell  asleep,  all  but  Elsbeth,  who, 
covering  her  head  with  the  buffalo  robes,  began  to 
gnaw  on  the  leather  thongs  as  if  they  were  that  much 
caramel,  first  this  side,  then  the  other.  She  felt  like 
a  rodent  before  she  was  half  through,  and  her  pretty 
pearl-colored  teeth  grew  shorter  and  blunter  before  she 
was  done.  It  was  a  gigantic  task,  but  she  stuck  to  it 
bravely,  and  some  time  during  the  "wee,  sma'  "  hours 
had  the  delicious  sensation  of  knowing  she  was  free, 
even  though  she  felt  horridly  toothless  and  sore-gum- 
med in  her  moment  of  victory. 

Like  a  wild  cat  she  slipped  out  from  under  the 
buffalo  robes,  wiggled  along  among  the  wet  leaves  and 
moss,  then  crawled  to  her  feet  and  was  off  like  a 
deer  towards  the  Panther  Glade,  regardless  of  the 
howling  of  the  wolves.  Hugh  Gibson's  quick  sense  of 
hearing  told  him  she  was  coming,  and  he  walked  out 
so  that  he  stood  on  the  path  before  her,  and  clasped  her 
white  shapely  arms  in  heartfelt  congratulations. 

"Now  that  we  are  free,"  he  said,  "I  will  take  you 
to  the  pony  in  three  hours'  travel.  I  want  to  arrange 
the  one  final  detail  to  make  this  reunion  always 
memorable  for  us  both.  We  have  shared  common 
hardships  and  perils ;  we  have  plotted  and  planned 
for  freedom  together.  Let  us  guarantee  that  our 
lives  shall  always  be  together,  for  I  love  you,  and 
want  you  to  be  my  wife," 

Elsbeth  drew  herself  back  out  of  his  grasp,  and 
a  shudder  went  through  her  supple  little  frame.  "Why 
I  have  never  heard  the  like  of  what  you  say,  much 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  159 

as  I  have  appreciated  all  you  have  done;  ours  was 
only  a  common  misfortune.  I  could  not  care  for  you 
that  way,  even  though  recognizing  your  bravery, 
your  foresight  and  your  kindliness." 

For  a  moment  Hugh  Gibson  was  so  angry  that 
he  felt  like  leading  her  back  to  Cooties,  where  she 
would  probably  have  been  received  writh  open  arms, 
and  be  burned  at  the  stake,  but  he  finally  "possessed 
his  soul"  and  accepted  the  inevitable. 

They  found  the  pony  by  morning,  but  it  took 
some  maneuvering  to  capture  the  wily  beast,  and 
packed  him  across  the  Kittanning  Path,  where,  at  Bur- 
goon's  Run,  they  came  upon  a  party  of  traders  head- 
ed by  George  McCord,  who  had  lately  come  from 
the  Juniata. 

McCord  told  them  the  details  of  the  conflict  at 
Fort  Robinson,  of  the  shocking  killing  of  Widow  Gib- 
son, Robert  Miller's  daughter,  James  Wilson's  wife, 
John  Summerson,  and  others,  on  that  bloody  night  of 
gas,  forest  fires,  smoke  and  surprises. 

It  was  the  turning  point  in  Hugh  Gibson's  life; 
his  mother  gone,  and  not  a  sign  of  weakening  in  Kls- 
beth  Henry's  mother-of-pearl  countenance ;  in  fact, 
the  indistinct  line  of  her  mouth  was  more  like  a 
streak  of  crimson  flame  than  ever.  A  new  light  had 
dawned  for  him  out  of  these  shocking  misfortunes; 
his  purpose  would  be  to  redeem  his  inactivity  at  Fort 
Robinson,  his  overconfidence,  his  over  self-esteem,  by 
going  at  once  to  Carlisle  to  secure  a  commission  in 


160 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


the  Royal  American  Regiment  of  Riflemen.  He  left 
Elsbeth  in  charge  of  the  McCord  party  who  would 
see  her  back  to  her  distracted  parents,  while  he 
tramped  over  the  mountains  towards  Reastown  and 
Fort  Littleton,  by  the  shortest  route  to  the  Cumber- 
land Valley. 


BILL,   BREWER,   "HICK"    PREACHER 


XII. 


Girty's  Notch 


1AHE  career  of  Simon  Girty,  otherwise  spelled 
Girtee  and  Gerdes,  has  become  of  sufficient  in- 
terest to  cause  the  only  authoritative  biography 
to  sell  at  a  prohibitive  figure,  and  outlaw  or  renegade 
as  he  is  called,  there  are  postoffces,  hotels,  streams, 
caves  and  rocks  which  perpetuate  his  name  through- 
out Pennsylvania. 

Simon  Gerdes  was  born  in  the  Cumberland  Val- 
ley on  Yellow  Breeches  Creek,  the  son  of  a  Swiss- 
German  father  and  an  Irish  mother.  This  origin 
guaranteed  him  no  high  social  position,  for  in  the 
old  days,  in  the  Cumberland  Valley,  in  particular, 
persons  of  those  racial  beginnings  were  never  ac- 
cepted at  par  by  the  proud  descendants  of  Quakers, 
Virginia  Cavaliers,  and  above  all,  by  the  Ulster  Scots. 
After  the  world  war  similar  beginnings  have  corre- 
spondingly lowered  in  the  markets  of  prestige,  and  a 
century  or  more  of  gradual  family  aggrandizement 
has  gone  for  nil,  the  social  stratification  of  pre-Rev- 
olutionary  days  having  completely  re-established  it- 
self. 

Unfortunely  for  Simon  Gerdes,  or  Girty,  as  he 
was  generally  called,  he  was  possessed  of  lofty  am- 
bitions, he  aimed  to  be  a  military  hero  and  a  man  of 
quality,  like  the  dignified  and  exclusive  gentry  who  rode 
about  the  valley  on  their  long-tailed  white  horses  and 

161 


162  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

carried  swords,  and  were  accompanied  by  retainers 
with  long  rifles.  There  must  have  been  decent  blood 
in  him  somewhere  to  have  brought  forth  such  aspira- 
tions, but  personally  he  was  never  fitted  to  attain 
them.  He  had  no  chance  for  an  education  off  there 
in  the  rude  foothills  of  the  Kittochtinnies ;  he  was 
undersized,  swarthy  and  bushy  headed ;  his  liands 
were  hairy,  and  his  face  almost  impossible  to  keep 
free  of  black  beard.  Analyzed  his  features  were  not 
unpleasant ;  he  had  deepset,  piercing  black  eyes,  a 
prominent  aquiline  nose,  a  firm  mouth  and  jaw,  and 
his  manner  was  quick,  alert  and  decisive. 

Such  was  Simon  Girty  when  his  martial  dreams 
caused  him  to  leave  home  and  proceed  to  Virginia! 
to  enlist  in  the  Rifle  Regiment.  A  half  century  of 
Quaker  rule  in  Pennsylvania  had  failed  to  disturb 
the  tranquility  of  the  relations  between  whites  and 
Indians,  but  in  the  Old  Dominion,  there  was  a  con- 
stant bickering  with  the  redskins  along  the  western 
frontier. 

As  Girty  was  a  sure  shot,  he  was  eagerly  accept- 
ed, and  in  a  short  time  was  raised  to  the  grade  of 
Corporal.  Accompanied  by  a  young  Captain-lieuten- 
ant named  Claypoole,  he  was  sent  to  the  Greenbrier 
River  country  to  convey  a  supply  train,  but  owing 
to  the  indifference  of  the  officer,  the  train  became 
strung  out,  and  the  vanguar  1  was  cut  off  by  Indians, 
and  captured,  and  the  rearguard  completely  routed. 

As  Girty  happened  to  be  the  vidette,  the  Captain- 
lieutenant,  who  was  in  the  rear  and  should  have  come 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  163 

up  and  seen  that  his  train  traveled  more  compactly, 
had  a  splendid  opportunity  to  shift  the  blame.  An 
investigation  was  held  at  Spottsylvania,  presided  over 
by  a  board  of  officers  recently  arrived  from  England, 
who  knew  nothing  of  border  warfare,  and  were  stick- 
lers for  caste  above  everything  else. 

Someone  had  to  be  disciplined,  and  if  a  fellow 
could  be  punished  and  a  gentleman  exculpated,  why 
then  of  course,  punish  the  fellow.  This  was  speedily 
done,  and  Girty  was  taken  out  before  the  regiment, 
stripped  of  his  chevrons,  denounced  by  the  Colonel, 
forced  to  run  the  gauntlet,  Indian  style,  and  drummed 
out  of  camp. 

Girty,  though  humiliated  and  shamed,  felt  glad 
that  he  was  not  shot ;  he  would  have  been  had  he  been 
actually  guilty  of  neglect;  he  was  punished  as  badly 
as  an  innocent  man  dare  be  punished  to  shield  a  guilty 
superior.  After  receiving  his  dishonorable  discharge, 
Girty  sorrowfully  wended  his  way  back  to  the  paren- 
tal home  on  the  Yellow  Breeches,  his  visions  of  glory 
shattered.  He  did  not  tell  his  parents  what  had  hap- 
pened, but  they  knew  that  something  had  gone  wrong, 
and  pitied  him,  as  only  poor,  lowly  people  can  pity 
another. 

Henry  Fielding,  a  gentleman  born  and  bred,  has 
said:  "Why  is  it  that  the  only  really  kindly  people 
are  the  poor,"  and  again,  "Why  is  it  that  persons  in 
high  places  are  always  so  hard?" 

About  this  time  Simon  Girty  found  work  break- 
ins:  colts  on  the  estate  of  an  eccentric  character  named 


164  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Gaspar,  known  in  the  Cumberland  Valley  as  "French 
Louis,"  who  resided  near  the  mouth  of  Dublin  Gap, 
on  the  same  side  of  the  trail,  but  nearer  the  valley 
than  the  present  Sulphur  Springs  Hotel.  All  that 
remains  of  his  ambitious  chateau  is  the  chimney, 
which  was  recently  Photographed  by  Professor  J.  S. 
Illick,  head  of  the  research  bureau  of  the  State  De- 
partment of  Forestry. 

"French  Louis"  Gaspar  was  a  Huguenot,  a  Gas- 
con, and  prided  himself  on  a  resemblance  to  Henry 
of  Navarre,  and  wore  the  same  kind  of  fan-shaped, 
carefully  brushed  beard.  His  wife  was  also  of  French 
origin,  a  member  of  the  well-known  Le  Tort  family, 
and  a  woman  of  some  education  and  character.  They 
had  several  daughters,  all  of  whom  married  well,  and 
at  the  time  of  Girty's  taking  employment,  but  one  was 
at  home — the  youngest — Eulalie. 

She  was  a  slim,  dark  girl,  with  hair  and  eyes  as 
black  as  Girty's,  a  perfect  mate  in  type  and  disposi- 
tion. It  is  a  curious  thing  while  unravelling  these 
stories  of  old  time  Pennsylvania,  that  in  seeking  de- 
scriptions of  the  personal  appearance  (which  is  al- 
ways the  most  interesting  part)  of  the  persons  figur- 
ing in  them  at  an  early  day,  scarcely  any  blondes  are 
recorded ;  the  black,  swarthy  Indian-like  visages  so 
noticeable  to  strangers  traveling  through  Pennsylva- 
nia today,  were  also  prevalent,  commonly  met  with 
types  of  our  Colonial  period. 

Eulalie  Gaspar  could  see  that  there  was  some- 
thing on  Girty's  mind,  and  tried  to  be  kind  to  him 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  165 

and  encourage  him,  but  she  asked  no  questions,  and 
he  volunteered  no  information.  If  he  had  not  re- 
ceived such  a  complete  social  setback  at  Spottsylvania, 
the  youth  might  have  aspired  to  the  girl's  hand,  but 
he  now  was  keenly  aware  of  the  planes  of  caste,  real- 
izing that  he  stood  very  low  on  the  ladder  of  quality. 

He  seemed  to  be  improving  in  spirits  under  the 
warm  sun  of  encouragement  at  Chateau  Gaspar,  as 
"French  Louis"  liked  to  call  his  huge  house  of  logs 
and  stone,  for  the  Huguenot  adventurer  was  much  of 
a  Don  Quixote,  and  lived  largely  in  a  world  of  his 
own  creation.  Eulalie,  hot-blooded  and  impulsive, 
often  praised  his  prowess  as  a  horseman,  and  other- 
wise smiled  on  him. 

There  was  a  great  sale  of  Virginia  bred  horses 
being  held  in  the  market  place  at  Carlisle,  and,  of 
course,  "French  Louis"  mounted  on  a  superbly  com- 
parisoned,  ambling  horse,  and  wearing  a  hat  with  a 
plume,  and  attended  by  Simon  Girty,  were  among 
those  present. 

The  animals  ranged  from  packers  and  palfreys 
to  fancy  saddlers  of  the  high  school  type,  and  although 
Gaspar  had  every  stall  full  at  home,  and  some  wan- 
dering, hobbled  about  the  old  fields,  he  bought  six 
more  at  fancy  prices,  and  it  would  be  an  extensive 
task  to  return  them  safely  to  the  stables  at  the  "Cha- 
teau". 

It  was  near  the  close  of  the  sale  when  a  young 
Virginian  named  Conrad  Gist  or  Geist,  one  of  the 
sellers  of  horses,  who  had  been  a  sergeant  in  Girty's 


166  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

regiment,  and  witnessed  his  degradation  at  Spottsyl- 
vania,  came  up,  and  in  the  presence  of  the  crowd, 
taunted  young  Simon  on  being  court-martialed  and 
kicked  out  of  camp. 

Girty,  though  the  humiliating  words  were  said 
among  divers  of  his  friends,  bit  his  lips  and  said  noth- 
ing at  the  time.  Later  in  the  tap  room,  when  "French 
Louis"  was  having  a  final  jorum  before  starting 
homeward,  the  Virginian  repeated  his  taunts,  and 
Girty,  though  half  his  size,  slapped  his  face.  Gist 
quickly  drew  a  horse  pistol  from  one  of  the  deep  pock- 
ets of  his  long  riding  coat,  and  tried  to  shoot  the  af- 
fronted youth.  Girty  was  too  quick  for  him,  and  in 
wresting  the  pistol  from  his  hand,  it  went  off,  and 
shot  the  Virginian  through  the  stomach.  He  fell  to 
the  sanded  floor,  and  was  soon  dead. 

Other  Virginians  present  raised  an  outcry,  in  which 
they  were  upheld  by  those  of  similar  social  status  in  the 
fraternity  of  "gentlemen  horse  dealers"  residing  at 
Carlisle.  Threats  were  made  to  hang  Girty  to  a  tree 
and  fill  him  full  of  bullets.  He  felt  that  he  was  lucky 
to  escape  in  the  melee,  and  make  for  the  mountains. 
Public  opinion  was  against  him,  and  a  reward  placed 
on  his  head.  Armed  posses  searched  for  him  for 
weeks,  eventually  learning  that  he  was  being  harbored 
by  a  band  of  escaped  redemptioners,  slaves,  and  gaol 
breakers,  who  had  a  cabin  or  shack  in  the  wilds  along 
Shireman's  Creek.  It  was  vacated  when  the  pursuers 
reached  it,  but  they  burnt  it  to  the  ground,  as  well  as 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  167 

every  other  roof  in  the  wilds  that  it  could  be  proved 
he  had  ever  slept  under. 

By  1750  he  became  known  as  the  most  notorious 
outlaw  in  the  Juniata  country,  and  pursuit  becoming 
too  "hot",  he  decided  to  migrate  west,  which  he  did, 
allying  himself  with  the  Wyandot  Indians.  He  lived 
with  them  a  foe  to  the  whites,  more  cruel  and  relent- 
less, the  Colonial  Records  state,  than  his  adopted 
people. 

Some  of  his  marauding  expeditions  took  him 
back  to  the  Susquehanna  country,  and  he  made  sev- 
eral daring  visits  to  his  parents,  on  one  of  which  he 
learned  to  his  horror  and  disgust,  that  Eulalie  Gas- 
par,  while  staying  with  one  of  her  married  sisters  at 
Carlisle,  had  met  and  married  the  now  Captain  Clay- 
poole,  the  author  of  his  degradation,  who  had  come 
there  in  connection  with  the  mustering  of  Colonial 
troops. 

During  these  visits  Girty  occupied  at  times  a 
cave  facing  the  Susquehanna  River,  in  the  Half  Fall 
Hills,  directly  opposite  to  Fort  Halifax,  which  he 
could  watch  from  the  top  of  the  mountain.  The 
narrow,  deep  channel  of  the  river,  at  the  end  of  the 
Half  Fall  Hills,  so  long  the  terror  of  the  ''up  river" 
raftsmen,  became  known  as  Girty's  Notch.  The  sin- 
ister reputation  of  the  locality  was  borne  out  in  later 
years  in  a  resort  for  rivermen  called  Girty's  Notch 
Hotel,  now  a  pleasant,  homelike  retreat  for  tired 
and  thirsty  autoists  who  draw  birch  beer  through 
straws,  and  gaze  at  the  impressive  scenery   of   river 


168  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

and  mountain   from  the  cool,  breezeswept  verandas. 

But  the  most  imposing  of  all  is  the  stone  face 
on  the  mountain  side,  looking  down  on  the  state  road 
and  the  river,  which  shows  clearly  the  rugged  out- 
lines of  the  features  of  the  notorious  borderer.  An 
excellent  photograph  of  "Girty's  Face"  can  be  seen 
in  the  collection  of  stereoscoptic  views  possessed  by 
the  genial  "Charley  Mitchell"  proprietor  of  the  Owens 
House,  formerly  the  old  Susquehanna  House,  at  Liv- 
erpool. 

It  was  after  General  Braddock's  defeat  in  1755 
that  Captain,  now  Major  Claypoole,  decided  to  settle 
on  one  of  his  parental  estates  on  the  Redstone  River, 
(now  Fayette  County)  in  Western  Pennsylvania.  Be- 
ing newly  wedded  and  immensely  wealthy  for  his  day, 
he  caused  to  be  erected  a  manor  house  of  the  showy 
native  red  stone,  elaborately  stuccoed,  on  a  bluff  over- 
looking this  picturesque  winding  river.  He  cleared 
much  land,  being  aided  by  Negro  slaves,  and  a  horde 
of  German  redemptioners. 

When  General  Forbes'  campaign  against  Fort 
Duquesne  was  announced  in  1757,  he  decided  to  again 
try  for  actual  military  laurels,  though  his  promotion 
in  rank  had  been  rapid  for  one  of  his  desultory  ser- 
vice; so  he  journeyed  to  Carlisle,  and  was  reassign- 
ed to  the  Virginia  Riflemen,  with  the  rank  of  Lieu- 
tenant Colonel  of  Staff. 

He  was  undecided  what  to  do  with  his  young 
wife  in  his  absences,  but  as  she  had  become  interested 
in  improving  "Red  Clay  Hall,"  as  the  new  estate  was 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  169 

called,  he  decided  to  leave  her  there,  well  guarded  by 
his  armed  Virginia  overseers.  The  Indians  had  been 
cleared  out  of  the  valley  for  several  years,  and  were 
even  looked  upon  as  curiosities  when  they  passed 
through  the  country,  consequently  all  seemed  safe  on 
that  score. 

However,  while  Lieutenant-Colonel  Claypoole 
was  at  Carlisle,  before  the  Forbes-Bouquet  Army 
had  started  westward,  an  Indian  with  face  blackened 
and  painted,  in  the  full  regalia  of  a  chief,  appeared  at 
the  door  of  "Red  Clay  Hall"  and  asked  to  see  the  lady 
of  the  manor,  with  whom  he  said  he  was  acquainted — 
that  she  would  know  him  by  the  name  of  Suckaweek. 

This  was  considered  peculiar,  and  he  was  told  to 
wait  outside,  until  "her  ladyship"  could  be  informed 
of  his  presence.  Eulalie  Gaspar  Claypoole,  clad  in  a 
gown  of  rose  brocade,  was  in  her  living  room  on  the 
second  story  of  the  mansion,  an  apartment  with  high 
ceilings  and  large  windows,  which  commanded  a 
view  of  the  Red  Stone  Valley,  clear  to  its  point  of 
confluence  with  the  lordly  Monongahela.  She  was 
seated  at  an  inlaid  rosewood  desk,  writing  a  letter  to 
her  husband,  when  the  German  chief  steward  entered 
to  inform  her  of  the  strange  visitor  waiting  on  the 
lawn,  whom  she  would  know  by  the  name  of  Suck- 
aweek. 

Taking  the  quill  pen  from  her  lips,  for  she  had 
been  trying  to  think  of  something  to  write,  the  dark 
beauty   directed   the   steward   to   admit   the   visitor   at 


170  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

once,  and  show  him  into  the  library.  Hurrying  to  a 
pier  glass,  she  adjusted  her  elaborate  apparel,  and  tak- 
ing a  rose  frdm  a  vase,  placed  it  carefully  in  her  sable 
hair,  before  she  descended  the  winding  stairway. 

"Suckaweek"  (Black  Fish),  which  was  a  pet 
name  she  used  to  call  Girty  in  the  old  days,  was  wait- 
ing in  the  great  hall,  and  the  greeting  between  the  ill- 
assorted  pair  seemed  dignified,  yet  cordial.  They 
spent  the  balance  of  the  afternoon  between  the  library 
and  strolling  over  the  grounds,  admiring  the  exten- 
sive views,  dined  together  in  the  state  dining  room, 
and  the  last  the  stewards  and  servants  saw  of  them, 
when  informed  their  presence  would  be  no  longer 
required,  was  the  pair  sitting  in  easy  chairs  on  either 
side  of  the  great  fireplace,  both  smoking  long  pipes 
of  fragrant  Virginia  tobacco. 

In  the  morning  the  Indian  and  Madame  Clay- 
poole  were  missing,  and  an  express  was  sent  at  once 
to  Carlisle  to  acquaint  the  Colonel  with  this  daring 
abduction  of  a  lady  of  quality.  The  news  came  as  a 
great  shock  to  the  young  officer,  who  obtained  a  leave 
of  absence  and  a  platoon  of  riflemen  to  engage  in  the 
search  for  his  vanished  spouse. 

The  marriage  had  seemed  a  happy  one,  but  in 
discussing  the  case  with  his  father-in-law,  "French 
Louis,"  indiscreetly  admitted  that  his  daughter  had 
once  seemed  a  little  sweet  on  Simon  Girty,  the  out- 
law.    All  was  clear  now,  the  motive  revealed. 

It  was  the  truth,  the  lovely  "Lady"  Claypoole,  as 
she  was  styled  by  the  mountain  folks,  had  gone  off 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  171 

with  the   seemingly   uncouth   renegade,   Simon   Girty. 

Why  she  had  done  so,  she  could  never  tell,  but 
doubtless  it  was  a  spark  of  love  lain  dormant  since 
the  old  days  at  Chateau  Gaspar,  when  she  had  seen 
the  young  outlaw  breaking  her  father's  unmanage- 
able colts,  that  furnished  the  motive  for  the  elope- 
ment. 

In  the  glade,  where  at  an  early  hour  in  the  morn- 
ing, Girty  and  his  fair  companion  joined  his  entour- 
age of  Indians  and  white  outlaws,  Simon,  in  the  pres- 
ence of  all,  unsheathed  his  formidable  hunting  knife, 
a  relic  of  his  first  campaign  against  the  Indians  when 
he  belonged  to  the  Virginia  "Long  Knives,"  and  cut 
a  notch  on  the  stock  of  his  trusty  rifle,  which  was 
handed  to  him  by  his  favorite  bodyguard,  a  half  Jew, 
half  Indian,  named  Mamolen,  a  native  of  Heidel- 
berg in  Berks  County. 

Although  during  the  past  eight  years  he  had  per- 
sonally killed  and  scalped  over  a  hundred  Indians 
and  whites,  Girty  had  never,  as  the  other  frontiersmen 
always  did,  "nicked"  his  rifle  stock. 

Turning  to  Lady  Claypoole  with  a  smile,  he  said : 
"Some  day  I  will  tell  you  why  I  have  cut  this  notch ; 
it  is  a  long  and  curious  story." 

In  order  to  have  her  safe  from  capture  or  moles- 
tation, Girty  took  the  woman  on  a  lengthy  and  peril- 
ous journey  to  Kentucky,  "the  dark  and  bloody 
ground."  To  the  country  of  the  mysterious  Green 
River,  in  what  is  now  Edmonson  County,  land  of 
raves,  and  sinks,  and  knobs,  and  subterranean  lakes 


172  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

and  streams,  amid  hardwood  groves  and  limestone, 
he  built  a  substantial  log  house,  where  he  left  her, 
protected  only  by  the  faithful  Mamolen,  while  he  re- 
turned to  fight  with  the  French  and  Indians  along 
the  banks  of  the  Ohe-yu,  "The  Beautiful  River." 

The  defeat  of  the  allied  forces  by  the  British, 
and  the  abandonment  of  Fort  Duquesne,  were  sore 
blows  to  Simon  Girty's  plans  and  hopes,  but  his  po- 
sition and  prestige  among  the  Indians  remained  un- 
dimmed. 

Claypoole,  though  promoted  to  full  Colonel,  did 
not  take  part  in  any  of  the  battles,  being  intermit- 
tently off  on  leave,  hunting  for  his  recreant  wife,  and 
spluttering  vengeance  against  "that  snake,  that  dog, 
Girty,"  as  he  alternately  called  him.  It  seemed  as  if 
the  earth  had  swallowed  up  the  lovely  object  of  the 
outlaw's  wiles,  for  though  Girty  himself  was  heard 
of  everywhere,  being  linked  with  the  most  hideous 
atrocities  and  ambushes,  no  Indian  prisoner,  even 
under  the  most  dreadful  torture,  could  reveal  the 
Lady  Claypoole's  whereabouts.  The  reason  tor  that 
was  only  two  persons  in  the  service  knew,  one  was 
Mamolen,  the  other  Girty,  and  Mamolen  remained 
behind  with  the  fair  runaway. 

It  was  not  until  after  the  final  collapse  of  the 
French  power  in  1764,  and  the  western  country  was 
becoming  opened  for  settlement,  that  Colonel  Clay- 
poole received  an  inkling  of  Eulalie's  whereabouts. 
It  did  not  excite  his  curiosity  to  see  her  again,  or 
bring  her  back,  but  merely  fired  his  determination  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  173 

more  to  even  his  score  with  Girty.  When  he  was 
sober  and  in  the  sedate  atmosphere  of  his  correctly 
appointed  library  on  Grant's  Hill,  in  the  new  town  of 
Pittsburg,  he  realized  how  foolish  it  would  be  to 
to  journey  to  the  wilds  to  kill  "a  scum  of  the  earth," 
he  a  gentleman  of  many  generations  of  refined  an- 
cestry, all  for  a  "skirt"  as  he  contemptuously  alluded 
to  his  wife. 

But  when  in  his  cups,  and  that  was  often,  he 
vowed  vengeance  against  the  despoiler  of  his  home, 
and  the  things  he  planned  to  do  when  once  he  had 
him  in  his  clutches  would  have  won  the  grand  prize 
at  a  Spanish  Inquisition. 

If  it  was  Girty's  destiny  to  notch  his  rifle  once, 
Nemesis  provided  that  Colonel  Claypoole  should  al- 
so have  that  rare  privilege.  At  a  military  muster  on 
the  Kentucky  side  of  Big  Sandy,  during  the  Revolu- 
tionary War,  Simon  Girty  boldly  ventured  to  the  out- 
skirts of  the  encampment,  to  spy  on  the  strength  and 
armament  of  the  patriot  forces,  as  he  had  done  a 
hundred  times  before.  Colonel  Claypoole,  riding  on 
the  field  on  his  showy,  jet  black  charger,  noticed  a 
low-browed  face,  whiskered  like  a  Bolshevik,  peer- 
ing out  through  a  clump  of  bushes.  Recognizing  him 
after  a  lapse  of  over  a  quarter  of  a  century,  he  rode 
at  him  rashly,  parrying  with  the  flat  blade  of  his 
sabre,  the  well  directed  bullet  which  Girty  sent  at 
him.  Springing  from  his  mount,  which  he  turned 
loose,  and  which  ran  snorting  over  the  field,  with 
pistol  in  one  hand,  sabre  in  the  other,  he  rushed  into 


174  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  thicket,  and  engaged  his  foe  in  deadly  combat. 
He  was  soon  on  top  of  the  surprised  Girty,  and 
stamping  on  him,  like  most  persons  do  with  a  veno- 
mous snake,  at  the  same  time  shooting  and  stabbing  him. 

When  his  frightened  orderly,  leading  the  recap- 
tured charger,  rode  up,  followed  by  a  number  of  ex- 
cited officers  and  men,  and  drew  near  to  the  thicket, 
they  were  just  in  time  to  see  Colonel  Claypoole  emerg- 
ing from  it,  red-faced  but  calm,  carrying  a  long  rifle. 

"I  see  you  have  put  a  notch  in  it  already,"  said 
one  of  his  companions,  as  he  eagerly  wrung  his  hand. 

"So  I  perceive,"  replied  the  Colonel,  "but  it  was 
hardly  necessary,  for  I  have  only  killed  a  snake." 

There  are  some  who  say  that  Colonel  Claypoole's 
victim  was  not  Simon  Girty  at  all,  but  merely  a 
drunken  settler  who  was  coming  out  of  the  bushes 
after  a  mid-day  nap,  and  a  coincidence  that  the  fel- 
low was  armed  with  a  rifle  on  which  there  was  a 
single  nick.  Yet  for  all  intents  and  purposes  Colonel 
Claypoole  had  killed  a  good  enough  Simon  Girty,  and 
had  his  rifle  to  prove  it. 

Other  reports  have  it  that  Simon  Girty  surviv- 
ed the  Revolution,  where  he  played  such  a  reprehen- 
sive  part,  to  marry  Catharine  Malott,  a  former  cap- 
tive among  the  Indians,  in  1784,  and  was  killed  in  the 
Battle  of  the  Thames,  in  the  War  of  1812. 

C.  W.  Butterworth  in  his  biography  of  the  Girty 
family,  says  that  Simon,  in  later  life,  became  totally 
blind,  dying  near  Amlerstburg,  Canada,  February  18, 
1818,  was  buried  on  his  farm,  and  a  troop  of  British 
soldiers  from  Fort  Maiden  fired  a  volley  at  his  grave. 


XIII. 

Poplar  George 

rrTT  have  been  reading  your  legends  of  the  old  days 
in  the  'North  American,  "  said  the  delegate  to 
■*-  the  Grange  Convention,  stroking  his  long  silky 
mustache,  "and  they  remind  me  of  many  stories  that 
my  mother  used  to  tell  me  when  I  was  a  little  shaver, 
while  we  were  living  on  the  Pucketa,  in  Westmore* 
land  County.  There  was  one  story  that  I  used  to  like 
best  of  all.  It  was  not  the  one  about  old  Pucketa 
the  Indian  warrior  for  whom  the  run  was  named,  but 
about  a  less  notable  Indian,  but  more  esteemed  local- 
ly, known  as  'Poplar  George.' 

"It  isn't  nearly  as  interesting  an  Indian  story  as 
the  one  that  Emerson  Collins  tells,  of  the  time  when 
his  mother,  as  a  little  girl  on  the  Quinneshockeny,  went 
to  the  spring  for  a  jug  of  water,  finding  a  lone  In- 
dian sitting  there  all  by  himself,  looking  as  if  he  was 
in  deep  thought.  As  he  made  no  move  to  molest  her, 
she  filled  her  jug,  and  then  scampered  back  to  the 
house  as  fast  as  she  could  tote  the  jug  there. 

"She  was  a  little  shy  about  telling  of  her  strange 
experience,  but  finally,  when  she  mentioned  the  sub- 
ject, her  mother  said,  'maybe  the  poor  fellow  was 
hungry.'  Quickly  spreading  a  'piece,'  she  hurried 
back  to  the  spring,  but  no  Indian  was  to  be  found, 
only  a  few  prints  of  his  mocassined  feet  in  the  soft 
earth  by  the  water  course.    If  it  hadn't  been  for  those 

175 


176  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

footprints  she  would  have  always  felt  that  she  had 
not  seen  a  real  live  Indian,  but  a  ghost. 

"It  was  the  last  Indian  ever  heard  of  on  the 
Quinneshockeny,  and  he  had  probably  come  back  to 
revive  old  memories  of  his  happy  childhood.  No, 
Poplar  George  was  hardly  like  Emerson  Collins'  'last 
Indian,'  as  he,  my  mother  averred,  was  part  Indian, 
part  ghost.  He  was  also  the  last  Indian  that  ever 
visited  the  Pucketa,  which  had  been  a  famous  stream 
in  its  day  for  redmen,  from  the  time  when  old  Puck- 
eta, himself,  came  there  to  spend  his  last  days,  after 
having  been  driven  out  from  his  former  hunting 
grounds  at  the  head  of  Lost  Creek,  which  runs  into 
the  'Blue  Juniata'   above   Mifflintown. 

"The  principal  part  of  this  story  revolves  around 
two  large  trees  that  used  to  stand  near  the  Pucketa, 
one  a  big  tulip  or  'whitewood'  tree,  hollow  at  the  butt, 
so  much  so  that  a  half  grown  person  could  hide  in  it, 
and  a  huge  water  poplar  tree,  or  'cottonwood,'  a  rare 
tree  in  Pennsylvania,  you  know,  that  stood  on  lower 
ground  directly  in  line  with  it,  but  on  the  far  side  of 
the  creek,  which  ran  parallel  with  the  road.  It  wasn't 
much  of  a  road  in  those  days,  I'm  told,  isn't  much  of 
one  yet,  little  better  than  a  cow  path,  with  grass  and 
dandelions  growing  between  the  wagon  tracks,  and  a 
worn  foot-path  on  the  creek  side  of  it.  Many's  the 
time  I've  gone  along  that  path  to  and  from  school,  or 
to  fetch  the  cows. 

"In  my  boyhood  there  were  two  big  stumps  which 
always  arrested  my  attention,  the  stumps  of  the  'cot- 


AGED    FLAX-SPIXXER    AT    WORK.    SUGAR    VALLEY 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  177 

tonwood'  and  the  tulip  which  I  have  already  men- 
tioned. The  native  poplar  stump,  which  was  chopped 
breast  high  for  some  reason,  had  been  cut  before  my 
day,  but  the  tulip  tree  had  stood  a  dead  stab  for  many 
years,  and  was  not  finally  cut  until  my  babyhood.  I 
was  too  young  to  recall  it,  and  its  stump  had  been 
sawed  off  almost  level  with  the  ground. 

"When  my  mother  was  old  enough  to  notice 
things,  say  along  six,  or  seven  or  eight  years  of  age, 
both  trees  was  standing,  and  despite  their  venerable 
age,  were  thrifty  and  green;  the  hollow  trunk  of  the 
tulip  did  not  seem  to  lessen  its  vitality.  Trees  in 
those  days,  of  all  kinds,  were  pretty  common,  and  re- 
garded as  nuisances ;  the  farmers  were  still  having 
'burning  bees'  in  the  spring  and  fall  when  all  hands 
would  join  in  and  drag  with  ox-spans  the  logs  of  the 
trees  that  had  been  cut  when  they  were  clearing  new 
ground,  and  making  huge  bonfires,  burn  them  like  a 
modern  section  foreman  does  a  pile  of  old  railroad 
ties,  and  by  the  way,  the  time  is  going  to  come  soon 
when  tie  burners  will  be  as  severely  condemned  as 
the  instigators  of  the  'burning  bees'  in  the  olden  days. 

"Trees  were  too  plentiful  to  attract  much  atten- 
tion or  create  affection  or  veneration,  but  these  two 
trees  had  a  very  special  human  interest. 

"Long  after  the  Indians  passed  out  of  our  coun 
try  they  came  back  as  ghosts  or   'familiars,'  just  as 
the  wolves,  panthers  and  wild  pigeons  do,  so  that  the 
stories  of  folks  seeing  them  after  they  became  extinct, 
while  not  literally  true,  are  in  a  sense  correct,.     Close- 


178  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ly  associated  with  the  life  of  the  big  cottonwood  was 
an  old  Indian,  mother  said;  he  wasn't  a  real  live  In- 
dian, yet  not  a  ghost,  was  probably  a  half  ghost,  half 
Indian,  if  there  could  be  any  such  thing. 

"The  tulip  tree  was  inhabited  by  a  very  attractive 
spirit,  an  Indian  girl,  an  odd  looking  one  too,  for  her 
smooth  skin  was  only  a  pumpkin  color  and  her  eyes 
a  light  blue.  They  all  called  her  'Pale  Eyes,'  and 
she  was  described  as  slight,  winsome  and  wonder- 
fully pretty.  The  Indian  man,  because  he  spent  so 
much  time  under  the  cottonwood  or  water  poplar,  be- 
came generally  known  as  'Poplar  George.'  He  would 
appear  in  the  neighborhood  early  in  the  spring,  in 
time  to  gather  poke,  milkweed,  dandelion  and  bracken 
for  the  farmer's  wives,  and  to  teach  the  young  folks 
to  fish,  to  use  the  bow  and  arrow,  and  snare  wild 
pigeons  and  doves. 

"It  was  a  sure  sign  of  spring  when  the  young 
people  would  see  him  squatting  before  a  very  small 
fire  of  twigs  under  the  still  leafless  branches  of  the 
ancient  poplar  tree.  He  would  remain  about  all  sum- 
mer long,  helping  with  the  harvest,  so  he  must  have 
been  real  flesh  and  blood,  in  a  sense,  and  in  the  fall  he 
gathered  nuts,  and  later  cut  some  cordwood  for  those 
who  favored  him — but  in  truth  he  never  liked  hard, 
downright  work  overly  much. 

"He  was  a  creature  of  the  forests  and  streams. 
When  he  went  away  in  the  fall,  after  the  wild  pigeons 
had  left,  he  always  said  that  he  wintered  south,  on 
the  Casselman  River,  where  the  weather  was  not  so 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  179 

severe,  in  that  wonderful  realm  of  the  Pawpaw,  the 
Persimmon  and  the  Red  Bud. 

"Often  when  he  took  the  young  folks  of  the 
neighborhood  on  fishing  trips,  and  his  skill  with  the 
angle  and  fly  were  unerring,  the  pretty  Indian  maiden, 
'Pale  Eyes,'  would  turn  up,  and  be  with  the  party  all 
day.  When  asked  who  she  was,  he  would  sometimes 
say  that  she  was  his  daughter,  other  times  his  neice,  or 
grand-daughter,  but  when  anyone  asked  of  'Pale 
Eyes,'  she  would  shake  her  pretty  head,  indicating 
that  she  only  spoke  the  Indian  language,.  Poplar 
George  could  speak  Dutch  and  a  little  English. 

"No  one  knew  where  Poplar  George  slept,  if  it 
wasn't  in  the  open,  under  the  cottonwood  tree.  If 
he  slept  in  barns,  or  under  haystacks,  no  one  had  ever 
seen  him  coming  or  going,  but  a  detail  like  that,  mat- 
tered nothing  as  long  as  he  was  kindly  and  harmless, 
and  took  good  care  of  the  children. 

"He  was  a  master  of  woodcraft,  much  like  that 
old  Narragansett  Indian  'Nessmuk,'  who  furnished 
the  late  George  W.  Sears  with  his  inspiration  as  well 
as  'nom  de  plume.'  Poplar  George  could  call  the  wild 
birds  off  the  trees,  so  that  they  would  feed  on  the 
ground  before  him,  the  squirrels  and  even  the  shy 
chipmunks  climbed  all  over  him,  and  extracted  nuts 
from  his  pockets. 

"The  old  Indian  was  an  odd  person  to  look  at,  so 
my  mother  said;  of  medium  height,  meagre,  wrinkled 
and  weazened,  tobacco  colored,  with  little  black  shoe- 
button  eyes,  and  a  sparse  mustache  and  beard.       He 


180  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

dressed  in  rags,  and  was  often  bare- footed,  yet  he 
never  complained  of  the  cold.  He  was  always  jolly 
and  cheerful,  had  always  been  the  same ;  he  had  been 
coming  to  the  Pucketa  Valley  for  several  generations 
before  my  mother's  day ;  in  fact,  no  one  could  remem- 
ber when  he  hadn't  been  there,  but  that  wasn't  saying 
much,  as  it  was  a  new  country,  dating  only  from  the 
time  when  Pucketa  and  his  tribesmen  had  enjoyed  it 
as  a  hunting  ground  for  big  game. 

"Once  when  some  hunters  killed  a  bear,  they  were 
going  to  nail  the  paws  on  the  end  of  a  log  barn,  but 
Poplar  George  begged  for  them,  and  invited  the  chil- 
dren to  a  feast  of  'bear  paw  cutlets'  under  the  Cot- 
tonwood tree.  My  mother  sat  beside  'Pale  Eyes/ 
and  took  a  great  fancy  to  her;  she  was  able  to  talk 
with  her  in  sign  language,  and  Poplar  George,  seeing 
how  well  they  got  on  together,  occasionally  interpreted 
for  them. 

"Mother  managed  to  learn  that  'Pale  Eyes' ' 
abode  was  in  a  huge  hollow  tulip  tree,  but  that  she, 
too,  wintered  in  the  south,  but  beyond  the  Maryland 
line.  Those  were  all  gloriously  care-free,  happy  days, 
and  my  mother,  in  later  life,  never  tired  talking  about 
them. 

"Once  in  the  fall  when  the  buckwheat  harvest 
was  in  progress,  millions  of  wild  pigeons  came  in,  and 
mother  could  never  forget  the  sight  of  old  Poplar 
George  sitting  on  a  'stake  and  rider'  fence,  with  a 
handsome  cock  pigeon  resplendent  with  its  ruddy 
breast,  pearched  on  one  of  his  wrists,  while  it  pecked 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  181 

at  some  buckwheat  seeds  in  his  other  hand.  Beside 
him  sat  the  demure  'Pale  Eyes,'  a  speckled  squab  of 
the  year  in  her  lap,  stroking  it,  while  other  pigeons, 
usually  so  wild,  were  feeding  in  the  stubble  about 
them,  or  perched  on  the  stakes  of  the  fence. 

"Some  of  the  boys  of  sixteen  years  or  therea- 
bouts, grown  lads  they  seemed  to  my  mother,  wanted 
to  be  attentive  to  'Pale  Eyes,'  but  she  was  so  shy  that 
she  never  let  them  get  close  to  her.  As  it  was  a  re- 
spectable backwoods  community,  and  all  minded  their 
own  business,  no  further  efforts  were  made  to  have 
her  mingle  in  society. 

"There  was  a  rich  boy,  Herbert  Hiltzheimer  from 
Philadelphia,  whose  father  was  a  great  land  owner, 
and  who  sometimes  came  with  his  parents  to  stay  with 
their  Agent  while  inspecting  their  possessions,  who, 
at  first  sight  of  'Pale  Eyes,'  fell  violently  in  love  with 
her.  On  rainy  days  he  was  not  allowed  out  of  doors, 
and  sent  word  to  Poplar  George  that  'Pale  Eyes' 
should  go  to  the  Agent's  house,  and  play  with  him. 
Old  Poplar  George  replied  that  he  was  willing  if  his 
niece  would  consent,  but  she  always  ran  away  into  the 
depths  of  the  forest,  and  was  never  once  induced  to 
play  with  him  indoors.  She  did  not  dislike  the  city 
boy,  only  was  very  timid,  and  was  afraid  to  go  inside 
of  a  house. 

"My  mother  was  made  a  confidante  of  by  Her- 
bert (  who  offered  her  five  dollars,  a  collosal  sum  in 
those  days,  if  she  would  induce  'Pale  Eyes'  to  at  least 
come  into  the  Agent's  yard,  and  play  with  him  alone. 


182  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

He  had  her  name  cut  on  everything,  even  on  the  win- 
dow frames,  and  wrote  verses  about  her  which  he 
carried  in  his  pocket,  and  sometimes  tried  to  read  to 
her. 

"In  the  fall  he  was  taken  back  to  Philadelphia  to 
school,  but  said  that,  the  evening  before,  when  he 
walked  up  the  lane,  weeping  over  his  misfortune,  he 
opportunately  met  the  fair  Indian  maid  alone  at  the 
tulip  tree,  and  actually  kissed  her.  She  broke  away 
and  ran  into  the  hollow  trunk,  and  while  he  quickly 
followed  her  into  the  aperture,  she  had  disappeared. 

"The  lands  on  which  the  cottonwood  and  the  tu- 
lip tree  stood  were  a  part  of  a  farm  belonging  to 
'Squire  George  Garnice,  an  agreeable,  but  easy  going 
old  gentleman,  who  never  learned  to  say  'no'  to  any 
one,  though  not  much  to  his  detriment  for  he  was 
very  generally  respected. 

"One  fall  some  of  the  Fiedler  boys  suggested  to 
him,  that  he  let  them  go  on  his  property  and  cut  up  a 
lot  of  old  half-dead  good-for-nothing  trees  for  cord- 
wood  and  of  course  he  assented.  The  first  tree  they 
attacked  was  Poplar  George's  favorite,  the  mighty  cot- 
tonwood. They  were  skilled  axemen,  and  cut  a  level 
stump  but  too  high  for  these  days  of  conservation 
Soon  the  big  poplar  was  down,  and  the  boys  were 
trimming  off  the  sweeping  branches.  Before  cutting 
into  stove  lengths,  they  hopped  across  the  creek  and 
started  on  their  next  victim,  the  hollow  tulip  tree,  the 
home  of  'Pale  Eyes.' 

"One  of  the  boys,  the  youngest,  Ed.,  had  gotten 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  183 

a  new  cross-cut  saw,  and  begged  them  to  try  it  on 
the  tulip.  They  notched,  and  then  getting  down  on 
their  knees,  started  to  saw  a  low  stump,  for  some  rea- 
son or  other.  They  had  sawed  in  quite  a  distance  on 
both  edges  of  the  hollow  side  when  they  heard  a  pit- 
eous shrieking  and  wailing  down  the  road,  toward 
the  old  'Squire's  barn. 

"Leaving  saw,  axes  and  wedges,  they  ran  to 
where  the  cries  came  from,  and  to  their  horror,  found 
'Pale  Eyes'  lying  on  the  grassy  bank  beside  the  road 
at  the  orchard,  her  ankles  terribly  lacerated,  front  and 
back,  clear  in  to  the  bones,  and  bleeding  profusely. 
On  this  occasion  she  was  able  to  speak  in  an  intelligi- 
ble tongue. 

"  'Run  quick  to  the  'Squire's,  and  get  help,'  she 
said,  in  Pennsylvania  German;  'I  am  dying,  but  I 
want  something  to  ease  this  dreadful  pain.' 

"The  sympathetic  boys,  without  waiting  to  in- 
quire where  she  received  her  grevious  hurts,  scurried 
down  the  road  and  through  the  'Squire's  gate.  The 
old  gentleman  was  in  his  library,  drawing  up  a  legal 
document,  when  the  long,  lanky  youths,  hatless  and 
breathless,  burst  in  on  him. 

"  'Oh,  sir,'  they  chorused,  'the  Indian  girl,  'Pale 
Eyes,'  you  know,  has  cut  herself,  and  is  dying  up  the 
road,  and  wants  help,.' 

"The  'Squire  always  kept  an  old-fashioned  rem- 
edy chest  in  his  desk,  so  seizing  it,  and  adjusting  his 
curly  wig,  so  that  it  would  not  blow  off,  he  ran  out 
after  the  nimble  mountaineers.     As  they  left  the  gate 


184  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

they  saw  old  Poplar  George  running  across  the  or- 
chard in  the  direction  of  the  wounded  girl.  Evident- 
ly he,  too,  had  heard  her  cries. 

"When  they  reached  the  spot  where  marks  on 
the  greensward  showed  where  'Pale  Eyes'  had  been 
lying,  she  was  nowhere  to  be  found,  neither  was 
Poplar  George.  There  were  no  signs  of  blood,  only 
a  lot  of  sawdust  like  comes  from  the  workings  of  a 
cross-cut  saw. 

"The  old  'Squire  was  nonplussed,  but  consented 
to  accompany  the  boys  to  the  scene  of  their  wood 
cutting  operations.  'Pale  Eyes'  was  not  there  either, 
nor  Poplar  George.  The  newly  formed  leaves  of  the 
cottonwood — it  was  in  the  month  of  May — although 
the  tree  had  only  been  cut  and  sawed  into  but  an 
hour  before,  were  scorched  and  withered. 

"The  'Squire  showed  by  his  face  how  heart- 
broken he  was  to  see  the  two  picturesque  trees  so 
roughly  treated,  but  he  was  too  kindly  and  forgiving 
to  chide  the  boys  for  their  sake.  As  he  was  standing 
there,  looking  at  the  ruin,  a  number  of  school  chil- 
dren, among  them  my  mother,  came  along,  for  it  was 
during  the  noon  recess,  or  dinner  hour.  They  saw 
the  butchered  trees,  and  learned  of  the  events  of  the 
morning;  several  of  them,  prosaic  backwoods  young- 
sters, though  they  were,  shed  bitter  tears. 

"  'Dry  your  eyes,'  the  'Squire  urged  them,  'else 
your  people  will  think  that  the  teacher  licked  you.' 
Then  they  all  chorused  that  it  was  a  shame  to  have 
ruined  the  retreats  of  Poplar  George  and  'Pale  Eyes.' 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  185 

"Evidently  'Squire  Garnice  was  wise  in  the  lore 
of  mysticism,  for  he  shook  his  head  sadly,  saying, 
'Never  mind,  you'll  never  see  Poplar  George  nor  'Pale 
Eyes'  again.' 

"It  was  a  dejected  company  that  parted  with 
him  at  his  gate.  The  old  'Squire  was  right,  for  never 
more  was  anything  seen  or  heard  of  Poplar  George 
and  the  mysterious  'Pale  Eyes.'  They  must  have 
been  in  some  unknowable  way  connected  with  the 
lives  of  those  two  trees,  the  cottonwood  and  the  tulip 
— their  lives  or  spirits  maybe,  and  when  they  were 
cut  into,  their  spirits  went  out  with  them. 

"I  knew  of  a  wealthy  man  who  had  a  cedar  tree 
in  his  yard,  that  when  he  fell  ill,  the  tree  became 
brown,  but  retained  a  little  life.  Finally  it  was  cut 
down  as  an  eyesore,  and  the  gentleman  died  suddenly 
a  few  days  afterward.  That  tree  must  have  contained 
a  vital  part  of  his  spirit. 

"By  fall  the  tulip  tree  looked  as  if  it  had  been 
dead  for  years,  and  the  bark  was  peeling  off.  As  the 
wood  of  the  poplar  would  not  burn,  and  set  up  a  fetid 
odor,  the  Fieldler  boys  never  bothered  to  finish  cut- 
ting down  the  hollow  tulip  tree,  of  which  the  shy 
wood  sprite,  'Pale  Eyes,'  had  been  the  essence. 

"Much  of  the  mystery  and  charm  of  that  old 
grass-grown  way  along,  the  gently  flowing  Pucketa 
had  vanished  with  its  Indian  frequenters.  But  the 
memory  of  Poplar  George  and  'Pale  Eyes'  will  never 
be  forgotten  as  long  as  any  of  those  children  who  were 
lucky  enough  to  know  them,  remain  in  this  world." 


XIV. 

Black  Alice  Dunbar 

DOWN  in  the  wilds  of  the  Fourth  Gap,  latterly 
used  as  an  artery  of  travel  between  Sugar 
Valley  and  White  Deer  Hole  Valley,  com- 
monly known  as  "White  Deer  Valley,"  a  forest  ran- 
ger's cabin  stands  on  the  site  of  an  ancient  Indian 
encampment,  the  only  clearing  in  the  now  dreary 
drive  from  the  "Dutch  End"  to  the  famous  Stone 
Church.  Until  a  dozen  years  ago  much  of  the  prime- 
val forest  remained,  clumps  of  huge,  original  white 
pines  stood  here  and  there,  in  the  hollows  were  hem- 
lock and  rhododendron  jungles,  while  in  the  fall  the 
flickers  chased  one  another  among  the  gorgeous  red 
foliage  of  the  gum  trees. 

Now  much  is  changed;  between  "Tom"  Harter 
and  "Charley"  Steele,  and  other  lumbermen,  includ- 
ing some  gum  tree  contractors,  little  remains  but 
brush  and  slash ;  forest  fires  have  sacrificed  the  re- 
maining timber,  and  only  among  the  rocks,  near  the 
mouth  of  the  gap,  can  be  seen  a  few  original  yellow 
pines,  shaggy  topped  in  isolated  grandeur.  Some  day 
the  tragic  Indian  history  of  White  Deer  Hole  Val- 
ley will  come  to  its  own,  and  present  one  of  the  most 
tragic  pages  in  the  narrative  of  the  passing  of  the 
red  man. 

It  was   into  this  isolated  valley,  that  terminates 

186 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  187 

in  Black  Hole  Valley,  and  the  Susquehanna  River, 
near  Montgomery,  that  numbers  of  the  Monsey  Tribe 
of  the  Lenni-Lenape,  called  by  some  the  Delaware 
Indians,  retreated  after  events  subsequent  to  the 
Walking  Purchase,  made  them  outcasts  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  It  was  not  long  afterwards  that  warlike 
parties  of  their  cruel  Nemesis,  the  Senecas,  appeared 
on  the  scene,  informing  the  Monseys  that  they  had 
sold  the  country  to  the  whites,  and  if  they  stayed,  it 
was  at  their  peril. 

Even  at  that  early  day  white  men  were  not  whol- 
ly absent;  they  came  in  great  numbers  after  the  Sen- 
ecas had  sold  the  lands  of  the  Lenni-Lenape  to  the 
"Wunnux,"  but  even  coincident  with  the  arrival  of 
the  Delawares,  a  few  white  traders  and  adventurers 
inhabited  the  most  inaccessible  valleys. 

Alexander  Dunbar,  a  Scotchman,  married  to  a 
Monsey  woman,  arrived  in  White  Deer  Hole  Valley 
with  the  first  contingent  of  his  wife's  tribes-people, 
settling  near  the  confluence  of  White  Deer  Hole  Creek 
and  South  Creek.  Whether  he  was  any  relation  to 
the  Dunbar  family,  who  have  long  been  so  prominent 
in  this  valley  is  unknown,  as  his  family  moved  fur- 
ther west,  and  the  last  heard  of  them  was  when  his 
widow  died  and  was  buried  in  the  vicinity  of  Dark 
Shade  Creek,  Somerset  County. 

Dunbar  was  a  dark,  swarthy  complexioned  man, 
more  like  an  Indian  than  a  Celt,  and  dressed  in  the 
tribal  garb,  could  easily  have  passed  off  as  one  of  the 
aboriginies.     At  one  time  he  evidently  intended  to  re- 


188  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

main  in  the  Fourth  Gap,  as  in  the  centre  of  the  green- 
sword  which  contained  the  Indian  encampment,  he 
erected  a  log  fortress,  with  four  bastions,  the  most  per- 
manent looking  structure  west  of  Fort  Augusta.  In  it 
he  aimed  to  live  like  a  Scottish  Laird,  with  his  great 
hall,  the  earthen  floor,  covered  with  the  skins  of  pan- 
thers, wolves  and  bears,  elk  and  deer  antlers  hanging 
about,  and  a  huge,  open  fireplace  that  burned  logs  of 
colossal  size,  and  would  have  delighted  an  outlaw 
like  Rob  Roy  MacGregor. 

When  the  Seneca  Indians  penetrated  into  the  val- 
ley they  were  at  a  loss  at  first  to  ascertain  Alexan- 
der Dunbar's  true  status.  If  he  was  related  to  the 
prominent  Scotch  families  identified  with  the  Penn 
Government,  he  would  be  let  alone,  but  if  a  mere 
friendless  adventurer,  he  would  be  driven  out  the 
same  as  any  one  of  the  "Original  People." 

Dunbar  was  a  silent  man,  and  by  his  taciturnity 
won  toleration  for  a  time,  as  he  never  revealed  his 
true  position.  When  the  Senecas  became  reasonably 
convinced  that,  no  matter  who  he  had  been  in  the 
Highlands  of  Scotland,  he  was  a  person  of  no  im- 
portance in  the  mountains  of  Pennsylvania,  they  be- 
gan a  series  of  prosecutions  that  finally  ended  with 
his  murder.  This  took  its  first  form  by  capturing  all 
members  of  the  Lenni-Lenape  tribe  who  ventured 
into  the  lower  end  of  the  valley,  for  those  who  had 
settled  further  down,  and  on  the  banks  of  the  Sus- 
quehanna and  Monsey  Creek  had  moved  westward 
when   they   learned   that   they   had   been    "sold   out." 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  189 

However,  the  residents  of  Dunbar's  encampment  oc- 
casionally ventured  down  South  Creek  on  hunting 
and  fishing  expeditions.  When  the  heads  of  half  a 
dozen  families,  and  several  squaws,  young  girls  and 
children  had  been  captured,  over  a  dozen  in  all,  and 
put  into  a  stockade  near  the  present  village  of  Spring 
Garden,  and  rumor  had  it  that  they  were  being  ill- 
treated,  Alexander  Dunbar,  carrying  a  flag  of  truce, 
set  off  to  treat  with  the  Seneca  Council,  at  what  is 
now  Allenwood,  with  a  view  to  having  them  paroled. 

The  unfortunate  man  never  reached  the  Senecas' 
headquarters,  being  shot  from  ambush,  and  left  to 
die  like  a  dog  on  the  trail,  not  far  from  the  Panther 
Spring,  above  the  present  John  E.  Person  residence. 

While  the  surviving,  able  bodied  Monseys  could 
have  risen  and  started  a  warfare,  they  deemed  it  pru- 
dence to  remain  where  they  were,  and  to  make  Su- 
gar Valley,  and  the  valleys  adjacent  to  White  Deer 
Creek,  their  principal  hunting  grounds. 

While  Dunbar  had  lived,  squaw  man,  though  he 
was,  he  was  the  leader  of  the  Indians  among  whom 
he  resided,  else  they  would  never  have  permitted  his 
erecting  a  pretentious  fortress  in  the  midst  of  their 
humble  tepees  of  hides  and  poorly  constructed  log 
cabins.  At  his  death  the  leadership  devolved  on  his 
eighteen-year-old  daughter,  "Black  Agnes,"  his  wid- 
ow being  a  poor,  inoffensive  creature,  a  typical  In- 
dian drudge. 

"Black  Agnes"  was  even  darker  complexioned 
than  her  father,  but  was  better  looking,-  having  fine, 


190  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

clear  cut  features,  expressive  dark  eyes  which  flashed 
fire,  although  she  was  much  below  medium  height,  in 
fact,  no  bigger  than  a  twelve-year-old  child.  She 
wore  her  hair  in  such  a  tangled  way  that  her  eyes, 
lean  cheeks  and  white  throat  were  half  hidden  by  the 
masses  of  her  sable  tresses.  She  usually  attired  her- 
self in  a  blue  coat  and  cape,  a  short  tan  skirt  trimmed 
with  grey  squirrel  tails,  and  long  Indian  stockings. 
She  was  in  miniature  a  counterpart  of  Miriam  Dons- 
debes,  the  beautiful  heroine  of  one  of  the  chapters  in 
this   writer's   book   "South    Mountain   Sketches." 

While  it  may  have  given  the  Senecas  added  cause 
to  repeat  their  jibe  of  "old  women"  at  the  Lenni-Le- 
napes,  for  not  avenging  Dunbar's  death,  it  was  a  case 
of  living  on  sufferance  anyway,  and  foolish  to  have 
attacked  superior  numbers.  The  Senecas  always  had 
white  allies  to  call  on  for  arms  and  ammunition,  while 
from  the  first,  the  Delawares  were  a  proscribed  peo- 
ple, slated  to  be  run  off  the  earth  and  exterminated. 
During  this  lull,  following  the  Scotchman's  mur- 
der, which  the  Senecas  would  have  doubtless  have  dis- 
avowed, an  embassy  appeared  at  the  Dunbar  strong- 
hold to  ask  "Black  Agnes'  ''  hand  in  marriage  with  a 
young  Seneca  warrior  named  Shingaegundin,  whom 
the  intrepid  young  girl  had  never  seen.  While  it 
would  have  been  extremely  politic  for  "Black  Agnes" 
to  have  accepted,  and  allied  herself  with  the  powerful 
tribe  that  had  wronged  her  people,,  she  sent  back 
word  firmly  declining. 

After  the  -emissaries  departed  through  the  gate  of 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  191 

the  stockade,  she  turned  to  her  warriors,  saying,  in  the 
metaphorical  language  of  her  race :  "The  sky  is  over- 
cast with  dark,  blustering  clouds,"  which  means  that 
troublesome  times  were  coming,  that  they  would  have 
war. 

The  embassy  returned  crestfallen  to  Shingaegundin, 
who  was  angry  enough  to  have  slain  them  all.  In- 
stead, he  rallied  his  braves,  and  told  them  that  if  he 
could  not  have  "Black  Agnes"  willingly,  he  would  take 
take  her  by  force,  and  if  she  would  not  be  a  happy  and 
complaisant  bride,  he  would  tie  her  to  a  tree  and  starve 
her  until  she  ceased  to  be  recalcitrant. 

The  bulk  of  the  Monseys  having  departed  from  the 
valleys  on  both  sides  of  the  Susquehanna,  to  join  others 
of  their  tribe  at  the  headwaters  of  the  Ohe-yu,  left  the 
Dunbar  clan  in  the  midst  of  an  enemy's  country,  so  that 
it  would  look  like  an  easy  victory  for  Shingaegundin's 
punitive  expedition. 

"Black  Agnes"  had  that  splendid  military  quality  of 
knowing  ahead  of  time  what  her  adversaries  planned 
to  do — whether  "second  sight"  from  her  Scotch  blood, 
or  merely  a  highly  developed  sense  of  strategy,  matters 
not.  At  any  rate,  she  was  ready  to  deal  a  blow  at  her 
unkind  enemies.  Therefore  she  posted  her  best  marks- 
men along  the  rocky  face  of  the  South  Mountains,  on 
either  side  of  Fourth  Gap.  Behind  these  grey-yellow, 
pulpit-shaped  rocks,  the  tribesmen  crouched,  ready  for 
the  oncoming  Senecas.  "Black  Agnes"  herself  was  in 
personal  command  inside  the  stockade,  where  she  was 
surrounded  by  a  courageous  bodyguard  twice  her  size. 


192  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

The  women,  old  men  and  children,  were  sent  to  the  top 
of  the  mountain,  to  about  where  Zimmerman's  Run 
heads  at  the  now  famous  Zimmerman  Mountain-top 
Hospice.  At  a  signal,  consisting  of  a  shot  fired  in  the 
air  by  "Black  Agnes"  herself,  the  fusillade  from  the 
riflemen  concealed  among  the  rocks  was  to  begin,  to 
make  the  Fourth  Gap  a  prototype  of  Killiecrankie. 

In  turn  the  entrance  of  the  Senecas  into  the  defile 
was  to  be  announced  by  arrow  shot  into  the  air  by  a 
Monsey  scout  who  was  concealed  behind  the  Raven's 
Rock,  the  most  extensive  point  of  vantage  overlooking 
the  "Gap." 

When  "Black  Agnes"  saw  the  graceful  arrow  speed 
up  into  space,  she  again  spoke  metaphorically,  "The 
path  is  already  shut  up!"  which  meant  that  hostilities 
had  commenced,  the  war  begun. 

The  little  war  sprite  timed  her  plot  to  a  nicety.  When 
the  Senecas  were  well  up  in  the  pass,  and  surrounded 
on  all  sides  by  the  Monseys,  whom  they  imagined  all 
crowded  into  the  stockade,  "Black  Agnes"  fired  her 
shot,  and  the  slaughter  began.  The  Senecas  began 
falling  on  all  sides,  thanks  to  the  unerring  aim  of  the 
Monsey  riflemen,  but  they  were  too  inured  to  warfare 
to  break  and  run,  especially  when  caught  in  a  trap. 

Shingaegundin,  enraged  beyond  all  expression  at 
again  being  flouted  by  a  woman,  and  a  member  of  the 
tribe  of  "old  women,"  determined  to  die  gamely,  and 
within  the  stockade  which  harbored  "Black  Agnes." 
He  seemed  to  bear  a  charmed  life,  for  while  his 
cohorts  fell  about  him,  he  plunged  on  unhurt.     The 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  193 

gate  of  the  stockade  was  open,  and  "Black  Agnes" 
stood  just  within  it,  directing  her  warriors,  a  quaint 
but  captivating  little  figure,  more  like  a  sprite  or  fairy 
than  one  of  flesh  and  blood. 

Shingaegundin  espied  her,  and  knew  at  a  glance  that 
this  must  be  the  woman  who  the  wise  men  of  his  tribe 
had  selected  to  be  his  bride,  and  the  cause  of  this  sense- 
less battle.  His  was  a  case  of  love  at  first  sight,  the 
very  drollness  of  her  tiny  form  adding  to  his  passion, 
and  he  ran  forward,  determined  to  be  killed  holding  her 
in  his  arms  and  pressing  kisses  on  her  dusky  cheeks. 

Such  thoughts  enhanced  his  ambition  and  courage, 
and  he  shouted  again  and-  again  to  his  braves  to  pick 
themselves  up  and  come  on  as  he  was  doing.  Dazed 
with  love,  he  imagined  in  a  blissful  moment  that  he 
would  yet  have  the  victory  and  carry  "Black  Agnes" 
home  under  his  arm  like  a  naughty  child. 

Just  outside  the  palisade  he  was  met  by  three  of 
Agnes'  bodyguard,  armed  with  stone  hatchets.  None 
of  his  warriors  were  near  him ;  shot  and  bleeding,  they 
were  writhing  on  the  grass,  while  some  were  already  in 
the  hands  of  the  Monsey  braves,  who  had  come  down 
from  their  eyries,  and  were  dexterously  plying  the 
scalping  knives.  Few  of  the  mutilated  Senecas  uttered 
cries,  although  as  the  scalps  were  jerked  off,  it  was 
hard  to  suppress  involuntary  sobs  of  pain. 

"Black  Agnes"  saw  nothing  in  the  long,  lank  form 
of  Shingaegundin  to  awaken  any  love;  she  detested 
him  as  belonging  to  the  race  that  had  sold  her  birth- 
right and  foully  murdered  her  father,  and  she  called 


194  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

to  her  warriors :  "Suffer  no  grass  to  grow  on  the  war- 
path," signifying  to  carry  on  the  fight  with  vigor. 

Shingaegundin  was  soon  down,  his  skull  battered 
and  cracked  in  a  dozen  places.  Even  when  down,  his 
ugly  spirit  failed  to  capitulate.  Biting  and  scratching 
and  clawing  with  his  nails  like  a  beast,  he  had  to  have 
his  skull  beaten  like  a  copperhead  before  he  stretched 
out  a  lifeless,  misshapen  corpse.  As  he  gave  his  last 
convulsive  kick  the  Monsey  warriors  began  streaming 
through  the  gates,  some  holding  aloft  scalps  dripping 
with  blood,  while  others  waved  about  by  the  scalp  locks, 
the  severed  heads  of  their  defeated  foemen. 

Never  had  such  a  rout  been  inflicted  on  the  Senecas ; 
perhaps  "Black  Agnes"  would  be  a  second  Jeanne 
d'Arc,  and  lead  the  Lenni-Lenape  back  to  their  former 
glories  and  possessions! 

The  victorious  Monseys  became  very  hilarious,  hoist- 
ing the  scalps  on  poles,  they  shimmied  around  "Black 
Agnes,"  yelling  and  singing  their  ancient  war  songs, 
the  proudest  moment  of  their  bellicose  lives. 

"Black  Agnes"  was  calm  in  triumph,  for  she  knew 
how  transitory  is  life  or  fame.  Biting  her  thin  tips, 
she  drew  her  scalping  knife  and  bent  down  over  the 
lifeless  form  of  Shingaegundin,  to  remove  his  scalp  in 
as  business-like  a  manner  as  if  she  was  skinning  a 
rabbit.  Addressing  the  grinning  corpse,  she  said: 
"Bury  it  deep  in  the  earth,"  meaning  that  the  Seneca's 
injury  would  be  consigned  to  oblivion.  Then,  with  rare 
dexiterity,  she  removed  the  scalp,  a  difficult  task  when 
the  skull  has  been  broken  in,  in  so  many  places. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  195 

Holding  aloft  the  ugly  hirsute  trophy,  she  almost 
allowed  herself  to  smile  in  her  supreme  moment  of  suc- 
cess. Her  career  was  now  made;  she  would  rally  the 
widely  scattered  remnants  of  the  Dela wares,  and  fight 
her  way  to  some  part  of  Pennsylvania  where  prestige 
would  insure  peace  and  uninterrupted  happiness.  But 
in  these  elevated  moments  comes  the  bolt  from  the  blue. 

One  of  the  panic-stricken  Senecas,  bolting  from  the 
ignominious  ambush  of  his  fellows,  had  scrambled  up 
the  boulder-strewn  side  of  the  mountain,  taking  refuge 
behind  the  Raven's  Rock,  lately  occupied  by  the  chief 
lookout  of  the  Monseys — he  who  had  shot  the  warning 
arrow  into  the  air.  Crouching  abject  and  trembling 
at  first,  he  began  to  peer  about  him  as  the  fusillade 
ceased  and  smoke  of  battle  cleared.  He  saw  his  slain 
and  scalped  clansmen  lying  about  the  greensward,  and 
in  the  creek,  and  the  awful  ignominy  meted  out  to  his 
lion-heared  sachem,  Shingaegundin.  At  his  feet  lay 
the  bow  and  quiver  full  of  arrows  abandoned  by  the 
scout  when  he  rushed  down  pell  mell  to  join  in  the 
bloody  scalping  bee. 

The  sight  of  "Black  Agnes"  holding  aloft  his  chief- 
tain's scalp,  the  horribly  mutilated  condition  of  Shin- 
gaegundin's  corpse,  the  shimmying,  singing  Monseys, 
waving  scalps  and  severed  heads  of  his  brothers  and 
friends,  all  drew  back  to  his  heart  what  red  blood  ran 
in  his  veins. 

"Black  Agnes"  stood  there  so  erect  and  self-confi- 
dent, like  a  little  robin  red-breast,  ready  for  a  potpie, 
he  would  lay  her  low  and  end  her  pretensions.    Taking 


196  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

careful  aim,  for  he  was  a  noted  archer,  the  Seneca  let 
go  the.  arrow,  which  sped  with  the  swiftness  of  a  pas- 
senger pigeon,  finding  a  place  in  the  heart  of  the  brave 
girl.  The  tip  came  out  near  her  backbone,  her  slender 
form  was  pierced  through  and  through.  The  slight 
flush  on  her  dark  cheeks  gave  way  to  a  deadly  pallor, 
and,  facing  her  unseen  slayer,  "Black  Agnes"  Dunbar 
tumbled  to  the  earth  dead. 

The  dancing,  singing  Monseys  suddenly  became  a 
lodge  of  sorrow,  weeping  and  wailing  as  if  their  hearts 
would  break.  The  Seneca  archer  could  have  killed 
more  of  them,  they  were  so  bewildered,  but  he  decided 
to  run  no  further  risks,  and  made  off  towards  his  en- 
campment to  tell  his  news,  good  and  bad,  to  his  as- 
tounded tribesmen. 

When  it  was  seen  that  "Black  Agnes"  was  no  more, 
and  could  not  be  revived,  the  sorrowful  Monseys  dug 
a  grave  within  the  stockade.  It  was  a  double  death  for 
them,  as  they  knew  that  they  would  be  hunted  to  the 
end  like  the  Wolf  Tribe  that  they  were,  and  they  had 
lost  an  intrepid  and  beloved  leader. 

According  to  the  custom,  before  the  interment, 
"Black  Agnes'  "  clothing  was  removed,  the  braves  de- 
ciding to  take  it  as  a  present  to  the  dead  girl's  mother, 
to  show  how  bravely  she  died.  They  walled  up  the 
grave  and  covered  the  corpse  with  rocks  so  that  wolves 
could  not  dig  it  up,  graded  a  nice  mound  of  sod  over 
the  top,  and,  like  the  white  soldiers  at  Fort  Augusta, 
fired  a  volley  over  her  grave. 

That  night  there  was  a  sorrowing  scene  enacted  at 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  197 

the  campground  near  the  big  spring  at  Zimmerman's 
Run.  The  grief-stricken  mother  wanted  to  run  away 
into  the  forest,  to  let  the  wild  beasts  devour  her,  and 
was  restrained  with  great  difficulty  by  her  tribesmen, 
who  had  also  lost  all  in  life  that  was  worth  caring  for, 
peace  and  security. 

With  heavy  hearts  they  started  on  a  long  journey 
for  the  west,  carrying  the  heart-broken  mother 
Karendonah  in  a  hammock,  to  the  asylum  offered  to 
them  by  the  Wyandots  on  the  Muskingum.  The  be- 
reaved woman  carried  the  blood-stained,  heart-pierced 
raiment  of  her  heroic  daughter  as  a  priceless  relic, 
and  it  was  in  her  arms  when  she  died  suddenly  on  the 
way,  in  Somerset  County,  and  was  buried  beside  the 
trail,  on  the  old  Forbes  Road.  The  Monseys,  however, 
took  the  costume  with  them  as  a  fetich,  and  for  years 
missionaries  and  others  interested  in  the  tragic  story  of 
"Black  Agnes"  Dunbar  were  shown  her  blue  jacket 
with  the  hole  in  the  breast  where  the  arrow  entered. 

That  arrow  pierced  the  hearts  of  all  the  Monseys, 
for  they  became  a  dejected  and  beaten  people  in  their 
Ohio  sanctuary. 

While  it  is  true  that  most  of  the  very  old  people  who 
lived  in  the  vicinity  of  the  Fourth  Gap  have  passed 
away,  it  may  yet  be  possible  to  learn  the  exact  location 
of  the  cairn  containing  the  remains  of  "Black  Agnes" 
and  place  a  suitable  marker  over  it.  One  thing  seems 
certain,  if  the  tradition  of  the  Lenni-Lenape  that  per- 
sons dying  bravely  in  battle  reach  a  higher  spiritual 


" 


198 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


plane  once  their  souls  are  released,  her  ghost  will  not 
have  to  hunt  the  hideous,  burnt-over  slashings  that 
were  once  the  wildly  romantic  Fourth  Gap ;  it  has  gone 
to  a  realm  beyond  the  destructive  commercialism  of 
this  dollar-mad  age,  where  beauty  finds  a  perpetual 
reward  and  recognition. 


XV. 

AbramAntoine,  Bad  Indian 

ABRAM  ANTOINE,  a  Cacique  of  the  Stock- 
bridge  Tribe  of  Oneida  Indians,  had  never  be- 
fore while  in  Pennsylvania  been  off  the  water- 
shed of  the  Ohe-yu,  or  "The  Beautiful  River,"  called 
by  the  white  men  "Allegheny,"  until  he  accepted  the 
position  of  interpreter  to  a  group  of  chiefs  from  the 
New  York  and  Pennsylvania  Indians,  to  visit  "The 
Great  White  Father,"  General  Washington,  at  Mount 
Vernon. 

While  the  General  had  not  been  President  for  sev- 
eral years,  and  was  living  in  retirement  at  his  Virginia 
home,  the  red  chieftains  felt  that  his  influence  would 
be  such  that  he  could  secure  redress  for  their  wrongs. 
Cornplanter  had  been  on  many  such  missions,  and 
come  home  elated  by  promises,  few  of  which  were  ever 
fulfilled  in  any  shape,  and  none  in  their  entirety,  conse- 
quently he  declined  to  accompany  the  mission  on  what 
he  termed  a  "fool's  errand." 

Abram  Antoine,  through  life  in  New  England,  New 
York  and  Canada,  had  become  much  of  a  linguist, 
speaking  English  and  French  with  tolerable  fluency, 
besides  being  well  versed  in  the  Seneca  and  other  In- 
dian tongues.  He  was  a  tall,  handsome  type  of  red- 
man,  powerfully  muscled,  his  career  on  "The  Beautiful 
River,"  where  he  rafted  and  boated  between  the  Res- 

199 


200  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ervations  and  Pittsburg,  and  his  service  as  a  ranger 
for  the  Holland  Land  Company,  had  developed  his 
naturally  powerful  form  to  that  of  a  Hercules.  Pre- 
viously he  had  served  in  the  American  Navy,  during 
the  Revolutionary  War,  which  had  instilled  in  him  a 
lifetime  respect  for  the  name  of  Washington.  He  was 
eager  therefore  to  act  as  interpreter  on  an  occasion 
which  would  bring  him  into  personal  contact  with  the 
Father  of  his  Country. 

The  Indians  took  the  usual  overland  route,  coming 
down  the  Boone  Road,  to  the  West  Branch  of  the 
Susquehanna  at  the  mouth  of  Drury's  Run;  from  there 
they  intended  hiking  across  the  mountains  to  Beech 
Creek,  there  to  get  on  the  main  trail  leading  down  the 
Bald  Eagle  Valley  to  Standing  Stone  (now  Hunting- 
don), and  from  thence  along  the  Juniata  to  Louis- 
bourg,  then  just  beginning  to  be  called  Harrisburg.  It 
had  been  an  "open  winter"  thus  far. 

At  the  West  Branch  they  met  an  ark  loaded  with 
coal,  bound  for  Baltimore,  in  charge  of  some  Germans 
who  had  mined  it  in  the  vicinity  of  Mosquito  Creek, 
Clearfield  County,  near  the  site  of  the  later  town  of 
Karthaus.  A  friendly  conversation  was  started  be- 
tween the  party  of  Indians  on  shore  and  the  boatmen, 
with  the  result  that  the  pilot  of  the  ark,  Christian 
Arndt,  invited  the  redmen  to  climb  abroard. 

The  invitation  being  accepted  with  alacrity,  the  ark 
was  steered  close  to  the  bank,  and  the  Indians,  running 
out  on  an  uprooted  snag  which  hung  over  the  water,  all 
leaped  on  the  deck  in  safety.     It  made  a  jolly  party 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  201 

from  that  moment  on.  The  time  passed  happily,  and 
many  were  the  adventures  and  experiences  en  route. 
No  stops  of  any  consequence  were  made  except  at  the 
mouth  of  Mianquank  (Young  Woman's  Creek),  and 
Utchowig  (now  Lock  Haven),  until  the  Isle  of  Que 
was  reached,  where  other  arks  and  flats  and  batteaux 
were  moored,  and  there  were  so  many  persons  of 
similar  pursuits  that  a  visit  on  dry  land  was  in  order. 

There  was  much  conviviality  at  the  public  houses  of 
Selin's  Grove,  and  the  Germans  amused  themselves 
trying  to  carry  on  conversations  with  the  native  Penn- 
sylvania Dutchmen,  dusky,  dark-featured  individuals, 
who  saw  little  affinity  between  themselves  and  the  fair, 
podgy  "High  Germans."  In  wrestling  and  boxing 
matches,  throwing  the  long  ball,  running  races,  and 
lifting  heavy  weights,  the  Germans  were  outclassed  by 
the  native  mountaineers,  but  they  took  their  defeats 
philosophically.  A  shooting  match  was  held,  at  which 
all  the  Indians  except  Abram  Antoine  held  aloof,  but 
his  marksmanship  was  so  extraordinary  that  he  man- 
aged to  tie  the  score  for  the  up-river  team.  This  was 
a  consolation  for  the  Germans,  and  they  left  the  Isle  of 
Que  well  satisfied  with  their  treatment. 

Other  arks  left  their  moorings  at  the  same  time, 
mostly  loaded  with  grain  or  manufactured  lumber  from 
the  Christunn  and  the  Karoondinha,  and  the  fleet  was 
augmented  by  a  batteau  loaded  with  buffalo  hides,  at 
the  mouth  of  the  West  Mahantango.  This  was  the  last 
consignment  of  Pennsylvania  bison  hides  ever  taken  to 
Harrisburg,   the   animals  having  been   killed   at   their 


202  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


crossing  over  the  Firestone  or  Shade  Mountains,  the 
spring  previous. 

It  was  a  picturesque  sight  to  see  the  fleet  of  arks 
and  other  boats  coming  down  the  noble  river,  the  flood 
bank  high,  driving  up  flocks  of  water  birds  ahead  of 
them,  while  aloft  like  aeroplanes  guarding  a  convoy  of 
transports,  sailed  several  majestic  American  Eagles, 
ever  circling,  ever  drifting,  and  then  soaring  heaven- 
ward. 

Out  from  the  Juniata  came  several  more  arks,  con- 
sequently the  idlers  in  front  of  the  rivermen's  resorts 
at  "The  Ferry,"  as  some  of  the  old-timers  still  called 
Harrisburg,  declared  that  they  had  never  seen  a  flood 
bring  in  a  larger  flotilla  at  one  time.  All,  however, 
were  anxious  to  get  in  before  the  river  closed  up  for 
the  winter. 

When  the  up-river  ark  with  its  load  of  Teutons  and 
redmen  made  its  moorings  for  the  night  near  the  John 
Harris  tree,  they  noticed  that  all  the  flags  were  at  half- 
mast — there  were  many  displayed  in  those  days — and 
there  was  a  Sunday  calm  among  the  crowds  lolling 
along  the  banks  in  the  wintry  sunshine. 

"Who's  dead?"  inquired  Abram  Antoine,  as  he 
stepped  on  the  dock;  his  naval  training  had  made  him 
alert  to  the  language  of  the  flag. 

"General  Washington,"  was  the  awed  reply. 

The  big  Stockbridge  Indian's  jaw  dropped,  his  life- 
time ambition  of  conversing  with  the  "first  in  the  hearts 
of  his  countrymen,"  and  the  purpose  of  the  mission  had 
been  thwarted  by  a  Higher  Will. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  203 

Turning  to  the  gaudy  appareled  chief  behind  him, 
he  conveyed  the  unhappy  message.  The  Indians  shook 
their  heads  so  hard  that  their  silver  earrings  rattled, 
and  were  more  genuinely  sorry  that  Washington  was 
no  more  than  the  failure  of  their  quest.  All  ashore, 
they  held  a  conclave  under  the  old  Mulberry  tree,  de- 
ciding that  there  was  no  use  to  go  any  further,  but 
would  spend  a  day  or  two  in  the  thriving  new  town, 
Louisbourg  or  Harrisburg,  whichever  it  was  proper  to 
call  it,  and  then  return  home.  There  was  no  use  going 
to  Philadelphia  again,  and  a  new  prophet  sat  in  the 
chair  of  the  Father  of  his  Country  at  the  Nation's 
Capitol. 

The  party  then  separated  for  the  present,  most  of 
them  hurrying  to  the  nearest  tavern  stands  to  refresh 
thirsts  made  deeper  by  the  sharp,  fine  air  on  the  river. 
Abram  Antoine  stood  undecided,  one  hand  resting  on 
the  trunk  of  the  historic  Mulberry,  a  crowd  of  small 
boys  watching  him  open-mouthed  and  wide-eyed,  at  a 
respectful  distance. 

Pretty  soon  he  was  accosted  by  a  very  old,  white- 
bearded  Dutchman,  with  a  strip  of  soiled  gray  silk  on 
the  lapel  of  his  coat,  which  indicated  that  he  was  a 
veteran  of  the  Royal  American  Regiment  of  Riflemen 
that  had  figured  at  Fort  Duquesne  in  1758.  Abram 
Antoine  had  seen  many  such  veterans  in  and  about 
Pittsburg,  and  held  out  his  hand  to  the  aged  military 
man.  The  old  soldier  signalled  with  his  cane  that  the 
Indian  come  and  sit  with  him  on  a  nearby  bench,  which 
he  did,  and  they  passed  an  hour  pleasantly  together. 


204  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

The  conversation  turned  principally  to  soldiering, 
and  then  to  firearms,  and  all  the  ancient  makes  of 
rifles  were  discussed,  and  their  merits  and  demerits 
compared.  The  veteran  allowed  that  the  best  rifle  he 
had  ever  owned  was  of  Spanish  make,  the  kind  car- 
ried by  the  Highlanders  in  the  campaigns  of  1758  and 
1763 ;  it  was  of  slim  barrel,  light  and  easily  handled, 
and  unerring  if  used  by  a  person  of  tolerable  accuracy. 

There  was  one  gunsmith  in  the  alley  over  yonder,  a 
veteran  of  the  Revolution,  named  Adam  Dunwicke, 
who  made  a  rifle  close  to  the  early  Spanish  pattern. 
It  was  the  best  firearm  being  turned  out  in  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  The  gunsmith,  anyhow,  was  a  man 
worth  knowing,  as  his  shop  was  filled  with  arms  of 
many  makes  and  periods,  and  he  liked  to  talk  with 
any  one  who  was  an  enthusiast  on  guns. 

Abram  Antoine  was  fired  by  what  the  veteran  told 
him,  and  as  it  was  still  early  in  the  afternoon,  asked  if 
he  would  escort  him  thither.  It  would  be  fine  if  he 
could  get  an  extra  good  rifle  as  a  souvenir  of  his  ill- 
starred  trip  to  Mount  Vernon.  The  old  man  had  too 
much  time  on  his  hands  as  it  was,  and  was  only  too  glad 
to  pilot  the  redman  to  the  workshop.  They  made  a 
unique  looking  pair  together,  the  old  soldier,  bent  and 
hobbling  along  on  his  staff,  the  Indian,  tall,  erect,  and 
in  the  prime  of  life.  Their  high,  aquiline  noses,  with 
-piercing,  deep-set  eyes,  were  their  sole  points  of  physi- 
cal similarity. 

When  they  reached  the  gunshop,  in  the  dark,  narrow 
alley   that   ran   out    from    Front    Street,    the   veteran 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  205 

banged  the  grimy  knocker,  and  it  was  almost  instantly 
opened  by  Dunwicke  himself,  a  sturdy  man  of  medium 
height,  who  wore  great  mustaches,  had  on  a  leather 
apron  and  his  sleeves  were  rolled  up,  revealing  the 
brawny  biceps  of  a  smith. 

Standing  by  the  gunmaker,  in  the  shadowy,  narrow 
entry,  was  a  very  pretty  girl  in  a  dark  blue  dress.  She 
was  as  tall  as  the  smith,  but  very  trim  and  slight,  and 
her  chestnut  brown  hair  was  worn  low  over  her  ears, 
throwing  into  relief  her  pallid  face,  and  the  rather 
haunted,  tired  look  in  her  fine  grey  eyes,  the  marvelous 
smooth  lines  of  her  chin  and  throat. 

A  third  figure  now  emerged  from  the  gloom,  a  small 
Negro  boy,  to  whom  the  girl  was  handing  a  letter,  with 
her  trembling  white  hands.  As  the  Indian,  the  veteran 
and  the  gunsmith  withdrew  into  the  workroom,  Abram 
could  hear  her  saying  to  the  lad,  as  she  closed  the  door 
by  way  of  added  emphasis :  "Tell  him  to  be  sure  and 
come." 

He  could  hear  the  footsteps  of  the  girl  as  she  went 
upstairs,  and  henceforth  he  lost  most  of  his  interest  in 
the  question  of  obtaining  a  rifle  of  the  Spanish  design. 
All  his  designs  were  elsewhere,  and  he  was  glad  when 
the  smith  suggested  they  visit  another  room  on  the 
opposite  side  of  the  entry,  to  look  at  several  sets  of 
extra  large  horns  of  the  grey  moose  or  elk,  which  had 
recently  come  down  on  an  ark  from  somewhere  up 
Tiadaghton. 

As  they  crossed  the  hallway,  Abram  Antoine  looked 
up  the  flight  of  stairs — there  were  three  that  he  could 


206  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

make  out — wondering  on  which  floor  the  fair  appari- 
tion retired  to;  he  presumed  pretty  near  the  roof,  as 
he  had  not  heard  her  on  the  loose  laid  floor  above  the 
workshop. 

When  they  returned  to  the  gun  shop,  the  Indian, 
knowing  the  smith  well  enough  by  then,  inquired  who 
the  lady  was  whom  they  had  seen  in  the  entry. 

"Oh,  I  don't  quite  know  what  she  is,"  he  replied. 
"She  stays  upstairs,  under  the  roof ;  you  know  that  the 
upper  floors  of  this  building  are  let  for  lodgers." 

Instantly  a  life's  story,  tragic  or  unusual,  grouped 
itself  about  his  image  of  the  girl,  and  his  heart  was 
filled  with  yearning.  He  was  hoping  against  hope 
that  she  would  come  down  again.  He  had  no  excuse  to 
go  up,  but  several  times  while  the  smith  was  chatting 
with  the  veteran  of  the  Royal  Americans,  he  managed 
to  wander  across  the  hall,  looking  up  the  well  towards 
the  grimy  skylight,  and  then  took  another  perfunctory 
glance  at  the  huge  antlers  standing  against  the  wall. 
He  prolonged  his  stay  as  long  as  he  could,  saying 
that  he  liked  to  watch  gunmakers  at  work,  and  having 
ordered  and  paid  for  a  costly  rifle,  he  felt  that  his 
presence  was  justified. 

It  was  well  into  the  gloaming  when  "knock,  knock, 
knock"  on  the  front  door  resounded  through  the  hollow 
old  building.  Abram  Antoine's  blood  ran  cold;  he 
could  have  shot  the  visitor  if  he  was  the  slender  girl's 
recalcitrant  lover,  but  fervently  hoped  that,  whoever  it 
was,  would  have  the  effect  of  bringing  her  downstairs. 

True  enough,  before  he  could  get  to  the  door  at  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  207 

smith's  heel,  he  heard  the  light,  familiar  footsteps,  and 
the  girl,  trying  to  look  unconcerned,  was  the  first  to 
turn  the  lock. 

It  was  only  Simon  Harper,  a  big,  lean  hunter  from 
Linglestown,  over  by  the  Blue  Mountain,  who  had 
come  to  take  delivery  of  a  rifle  made  to  order. 

"Oh,  I  am  so  disappointed,"  said  the  girl,  as  she 
turned  to  run  upstairs. 

The  smith  was  escorting  his  swarthy  customer  into 
the  shop.  Abram  Antoine's  opportunity  had  come,  if 
ever. 

"Do  you  have  the  letting  of  the  rooms  upstairs?"  he 
said,  politely,  hat  in  hand. 

The  girl  looked  at  him;  it  was  probably  the  first 
time  during  the  afternoon  that  she  had  noticed  his  pres- 
ence, so  pre-occupied  she  had  been. 

"No,"  she  said,  softly;  "the  lady  lives  on  the  next 
landing,  but  I  saw  her  going  out." 

Abraham  was  well  aware  how  closely  she  had  been 
watching  that  doorway !    "Are  there  any  vacancies  ?" 

The  girl  dropped  her  head  as  if  in  doubt  about  car- 
rying on  the  conversation  further,  then  replied:  "I 
think  there  are." 

"Will  you  show  them  to  me?"  said  the  Indian. 

Whether  it  was  loneliness  or  desperation  at  the  non- 
arrival  of  the  person  to  whom  she  had  sent  the  letter, 
or  the  tall  redman's  superlative  good  looks  and  genteel 
demeanor — for  a  handsome  man  can  attempt  what  a 
plain  one  dare  never  aspire — at  any  rate  without  an- 


208  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

other  word,  she  turned  and  led  the  way  up  the  long, 
steep  stairs. 

It  was  with  no  sense  of  surprise  that  she  brought 
him  to  the  top  of  the  house,  into  her  own  garret,  with 
its  two  small  dormer  windows  which  gave  a  view  in 
the  direction  of  the  Narrows  at  Fort  Hunter,  and  the 
broad,  majestic  river.  There  was  a  narrow  bed  with  a 
soiled  coverlet,  a  portmanteau,  a  brass  candlestick,  and 
two  rush-bottomed  chairs,  and  nothing  else  in  it.  In 
those  days  lodgers  washed  at  the  well  in  the  back  yard. 

Both  sat  down  as  if  they  had  known  each  other  all 
their  lives;  the  frigid  barrier  of  reserve  of  a  few  min- 
utes earlier  had  broken  down.  They  were  scarcely 
seated  when  the  ominous  "clank,  clank,  clank,"  that 
the  girl  had  been  listening  for  so  intently  all  afternoon, 
resounded  up  the  dismal  vault  of  the  stairway. 

Casting  a  frightened  look  at  the  big  Indian,  as  much 
as  to  say,  "What  will  he  say  if  he  finds  you  here?"  she 
bounded  out  of  the  room,  descending  the  steps  two  or 
three  at  a  time. 

Abram  Antoine  did  not  take  the  hint  to  retire,  if 
such  was  meant,  and  sat  stolidly  in  the  high-backed, 
rush-bottomed  chair,  in  the  unlighted  room.  It  was 
only  a  few  minutes  until  she  returned,  her  face  red,  all 
out  of  breath,  carrying  the  same  letter  which  he  had 
seen  her  hand  to  the  colored  boy  earlier  in  the  after- 
noon. 

"Not  in  town,  don't  know  when  he  will  return,"  she 
was  chanting  to  herself,  as  she  came  through  the  open 
door.    She  started  back,  as  if  surprised  to  find  her  new 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  209 

champion  still  there.  Without  speaking,  she  dropped 
down  on  the  bed,  facing  him,  fanning  her  flushed  cheeks 
with  the  envelope,  although  the  little  room  was  quite 
cold. 

"I  am  sorry  that  your  letter  was  undelivered,"  said 
Abram  Antoine,  after  a  considerable  silence.  There 
was  another  pause,  and  then  the  girl,  still  clutching  the 
fated  letter,  revealed  her  story  of  embarrassment. 

"It  isn't  a  long  story,"  she  began.  "My  name  is 
Ernestine  de  Kneuse.  My  father  is  the  well-known 
miller  and  land-owner  at  New  Berlinville,  in  Berks 
County — Solomon  de  Kneuse.  About  a  year  ago  a 
young  stranger,  Carl  Nitschman,  I  think  a  High  Ger- 
man, came  to  the  town,  stopping  at  the  'Three  Friends' 
Inn,  which  it  was  rumored  he  was  to  purchase.  While 
negotiating,  he  naturally  met  many  of  the  leading  peo- 
ple. He  was  handsome  and  engaging,  and  all  the  girls 
went  wild  over  him.  It  gave  me  a  fiendish  pleasure  to 
think  that  he  favored  me  above  the  rest,  and  one  after- 
noon I  cut  my  classes  at  the  Select  Academy,  where  I 
was  in  my  third  year,  and  went  walking  with  him. 

"My  father,  who  belonged  to  the  old  school,  had  a 
hatred  for  any  one  who  might  even  consider  going  into 
the  liquor  business,  saw  us  together  and  told  mother. 
On  reaching  home,  although  I  was  eighteen  and  had 
not  had  even  a  spanking  for  several  years,  and  thought 
I  had  outgrown  it,  my  mother  took  me  to  my  room  and 
administered  a  good,  sound  'scotching'  with  the  rod. 

"Previously  they  had  forbidden  the  young  man  the 


210  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

house,  and  when  I  informed  him  how  I  was  treated,  he 
told  me  if  I  was  disciplined  again,  to  run  away. 

"Not  long  afterwards  I  was  kept  in  at  school,  and 
mother  accused  me  of  meeting  my  lover.  I  told  her  to 
go  to  the  school  and  find  out  for  herself,  which  she  did, 
but  nevertheless  that  evening  my  mother  visited  me  ir. 
my  room  with  the  strap,  and  walloped  me  until  I  was 
black  and  blue  from  shoulders  to  ankles. 

"Meanwhile  Carl's  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of 
the  tavern  had  fallen  through,  and  he  was  preparing  to 
leave  for  Reading.  Through  one  of  my  girl  friends 
who  was  not  so  strictly  raised,  I  communicated  to  him 
the  story  of  this  latest  indignity,  begging  him  to  take 
me  with  him.  He  replied  that  he  would  be  traveling 
about  for  some  time  before  settling  down  there,  but  as 
soon  as  he  was  located,  he  would  send  me  his  address, 
and  to  come. 

"I  recall  the  morning  of  his  departure,  how  I  crawled 
out  of  bed  before  dawn,  and  pressed  my  tear-stained 
face  against  the  window  lights  as  he  climbed  on  the 
coach  at  the  inn,  which  was  across  the  street  from 
where  we  lived,  and  settling  down  among  his  goodly 
store  of  bags  and  boxes,  was  driven  away. 

"Weeks  passed,  and  I  eventually  got  a  letter  through 
one  of  my  girl  friends  whose  parents  were  less  strict, 
that  he  had  gone  to  Harrisburg,  and  I  should  join  him 
there.  By  exercising  a  great  amount  of  ingenuity,  I 
got  out  of  the  house,  and  on  the  night  stage  for  Read- 
ing, during  one  of  the  terrible  Equinoctial  rains, 
making  close  connections  with  another  stage  for  Har- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  211 

risburg,  and  I  came  to  my  present  abode  a  month  be- 
fore, but  have  never  once  seen  Nitschman  in  the  in- 
terval. 

"I've  now  learned  that  my  parents  are  on  my  track, 
and  will  reach  town  tonight ;  I  have  spent  my  last  cent, 
and  my  letters  to  Nitschman  receive  no  satisfactory 
answers.  I  am  now  penniless,  and  cannot  pay  my 
lodging,  have  eaten  nothing  all  day,  and  have  no  place 
to  go.  I  would  not  return  for  all  the  world  and  subject 
myself  to  an  irate  mother.". 

The  Indian  was  much  interested  by  the  recital,  and 
told  her  that  he  had  loved  her  the  minute  he  laid  eyes 
on  her,  and  would  marry  her  if  she  would  return  with 
him  to  his  home,  which  adjoined  the  Cornplanter  Res- 
ervation, in  Warren  County.  "I  will  marry  you  right 
away  if  you  will  accept." 

Pressed  and  harassed  on  all  sides,  and  hungry  as 
well,  Ernestine,  looking  up  into  the  handsome  face  of 
the  redman,  capitulated.  Closing  up  her  scanty  belong- 
ings in  the  shabby  portmanteau,  she  went  down  to  the 
landlady  and  settled  her  bill  in  full  out  of  a  "Double 
Eagle"  which  Abram  gave  her,  and  then  the  pair 
quickly  left  the  building.  The  gunshop  was  locked, 
and  dark,  the  veteran  of  the  Royal  Americans  and  the 
smith  had  forgotten  all  about  their  Indian  friend  and 
gone  their  ways  regardless. 

They  soon  found  the  leading  hotel  stand,  where  they 
enjoyed  a  good  supper  and  learned  of  a  preacher  who 
would  marry  them. 

Just  as  they  were  about  to  leave  the  tavern  the  stage 


212  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

from  Reading  and  Stitestown  pulled  in,  horses  and 
running  gear  all  spattered  with  mud  and  slush.  Among 
the  first  to  clamber  out  was  old  Solomon  de  Kheuse  and 
his  wile,  but  they  gave  them  the  slip  in  the  darkness 
and  confusion. 

At  the  manse,  after  the  ceremony,  the  clergyman 
mentioned  that  his  brother  was  to  be  a  juryman  the 
next  day  at  the  trial  of  Nitschman,  the  highwayman, 
who  had  held  up  and  robbed  the  aristocratic  McAfee 
family  on  the  road  to  York  Springs.  "May  he  pay 
dearly  for  interfering  with  quality,"  he  added,  se- 
riously. 

Ernestine  hung  her  head :  she  understood  now  why 
it  was  she  had  been  unable  to  see  her  lover  since  she 
came  to  the  town;  he  had  been  in  jail,  and  perhaps  she 
was  stung  with  some  tiny  feelings  of  remorse  to  have 
renounced  him  so  quickly.  However,  necessity  knows 
no  law,  but  she  thought  she  knew  her  man. 

Before  daybreak  the  newly  married  couple  were  en- 
sconced in  the  stage  bound  for  Northumberland  and 
Williamsport,  and  in  due  course  of  time  reached  their 
future  home,  just  across  the  river  from  Corydon. 

None  of  the  other  Indians  returned  for  several 
weeks.  When,  they  did,  they  were  miserable  looking 
objects  from  drink,  and  Abram  half  blamed  himself 
for  not  looking  after  them,  but  love  had  blinded  him  to 
everything  else.  He  provided  a  comfortable  home  for 
his  bride,  and  as  an  agent  for  the  Holland  Land  Com- 
pany, mingled  with  respectable  people,  who  were  con- 
siderate to  his  wife.    Among  these  were  the  family  of 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  213 

Philip  Tome,  that  indomitable  Indian-looking  Nim- 
rod,  author  of  "Thirty  Years  a  Hunter,"  whose  prowess 
in  the  forests  of  Northern  Pennsylvania  will  never  be 
forgotten  while  memory  of  the  big  game  days  lasts. 

Ernestine  was  really  happy,  and  did  not  aspire  to 
any  different  lot.  Though  she  was  fearless,  she  hated 
to  be  left  alone  when  her  husband  was  absent  on  in- 
spection trips,  and  he  generally  managed  to  have  an 
Indian  boy  or  girl — one  of  the  O'Bails  or  Logans — 
remain  with  her  when  he  was  away. 

In  due  time  his  handsome  Spanish-type  rifle,  with  its 
stock  inlaid  with  mother-of-pearl  and  silver,  like  the 
gun  of  some  Moorish  Sheik,  reached  him,  and  of  it  he 
was  justly  proud,  partly  because  it  was  the  instrument 
of  his  meeting  Ernestine. 

On  the  first  anniversary  of  their  wedding  he  killed  a 
fine  stag  with  it  on  the  Kinzua,  while  hunting  with 
Philip  Tome.  It  was  in  the  fall  of  the  second  year  of 
their  marriage  that  Abram  Antoine  was  called  away 
away  during  a  heavy  flood  in  the  Ohe-yu,  which  flowed 
in  front  of  their  house.  Old  Shem,  the  one-eyed,  half- 
breed  ferryman,  had  difficulty  in  getting  him  across 
in  the  batteau,  so  swift  was  the  angry  current.  He  was 
to  be  gone,  as  usual,  several  days. 

On  the  night  when  she  was  expecting  him  home, 
Ernestine  heard  a  loud  knocking  at  the  kitchen  door. 
Opening  it  she  beheld  Old  Shem  standing  outside,  the 
rain  dripping  from  his  hat  and  clothing. 

"Missus  Antoine,"  he  wheezed,  "Abram  is  over  to 


214  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  public  house  at  Corydon,  a  very  sick  man,  and 
wants  you  to  come  to  him  at  once." 

Ernestine  was  horrified,  but,  jerking  down  her 
cloak  from  the  nail  on  which  it  hung,  ran  out  into  the 
storm,  and  followed  the  aged  ferryman  down  the  steep 
bank  to  the  landing.  The  wind  was  bellowing  terribly 
among  the  almost  bear  hickories  and  butternuts  along 
the  shore,  the  current  was  deep,  dark  and  eddying. 

When  one-third  the  way  over,  Old  Shem  looked  up, 
saying :  "Missus,  it  hain't  Abram  that's  sick ;  it's  your 
other  man,  Mister  Nitschman,  what  wants  you." 

"My  other  man !"  shouted  Ernestine.  "I  never  had 
any  other  man.  Take  me  back  home  at  once,  you 
treacherous  old  snake  in  the  grass." 

Just  then  a  pile  of  buffalo  robes  in  one  end  of  the 
deep  batteau  stirred,  and  the  form  of  a  man  arose — 
Carl  Nitschman,  back  from  jail. 

"Talk  sensibly,  Ernestine,"  he  said.  "I  have  come 
for  you,  and  will  forgive  everything.  You  know  you 
belong  to  me;  your  going  off  with  that  Indian  was  all 
a  hasty  mistake." 

Ernestine  glared  at  him  and  again  ordered  the  ferry- 
man to  take  her  home.  Instead  he  seemed  to  be  trying 
to  reach  the  Corydon  shore  the  faster.  Just  then 
Nitschman  stepped  forward,  with  arms  outstretched, 
as  if  to  seize  her. 

The  slight  and  supple  Ernestine  sprang  up  on  the 
gunwale,  the  boat  tipped;  she  either  fell  or  jumped  into 
the  dark,  swirling  current.  She  was  gone  before  an 
effort  could  be  made  to  save  her,  and  the  two  fright- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  215 

ened  men,  white  as  ghosts,  pulled  for  the  light  which 
gleamed  through  the  storm,  in  the  tavern  window  at 
Corydon,  with  redoubled  energy.  With  a  thud  the 
prow  hit  the  muddy  bank  and  slid  on  shore. 

To  their  surprise  Abram  Antoine  was  standing  on 
the  bank.  The  one-eyed  ferryman  began  to  cry,  a 
strange  thing  for  any  one  of  Indian  blood.  "I  was 
fetching  your  wife  across  to  meet  you  and  she  fell  in 
the  river." 

Just  then  Nitschman,  who  had  climbed  out  of  the 
boat,  was  passing  by  Antoine,  who  seized  him  by  the 
collar.  "Who  is  this  son  of ?"  demanded  the  six- 
foot  Indian. 

It  was  then  that  the  ferryman  broke  down  completely 
and  confessed  all. 

Antoine  shook  his  captive  like  a  rat,  and  slapped  his 
face  many  times,  eventually  tumbling  him  into  the  mud 
and  kicking  him  like  a  sack  of  flour.  Then,  picking  up 
an  oar,  he  beat  the  ferryman  over  the  head  until  he 
yelled  for  mercy.  The  noise  roused  the  habitues  of 
the  hotel,  and  as  the  victims  were  shouting  "murder,'*' 
the  local  Constable,  who  ran  the  hotel,  placed  Abram 
Antoine  under  arrest,  beginning  his  fatal  brand  as 
"Bad  Indian." 

Nitschman  did  not  appear  to  press  the  charge  next 
day,  and  the  ferryman  apologized  for  his  part  in  the 
affair,  so  Abram  was  free,  minus  his  beautiful  wife 
and  his  reputation. 

It  was  beginning  with  that  terrible  tragedy  that  he 
began  to  find  solace  at  the  tap  room  of  the  public  house 


216  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

at  Cory  don.  Philip  Tome  and  even  old  Cornplanter 
himself  tried  his  best  to  save  him,  but  he  became  an 
Indian  sot,  losing  his  position  with  the  land  company, 
his  home  and  his  self-respect.  All  that  he  held  on  to, 
and  that  because  being  an  Indian  he  was  sentimental, 
was  his  Spanish  rifle  with  the  inlaid  stock.  He  spent 
more  and  more  of  his  time  in  the  forests,  shunning 
white  people  and  fraternizing  only  with  his  own  kind. 
He  made  a  protege  out  of  young  Jim  Jacobs,  a  Seneca 
hunter  of  unusual  ability,  and  they  spent  many  weeks 
at  a  time  in  the  forests. 

To  him  he  confided  that  before  he  died  he  would 
literally  have  Nitschman's  scalp,  have  the  blood  atone- 
ment against  the  destroyer  of  his  happiness. 

A  score  of  years  had  to  pass  before  he  met  the  ex- 
highwayman  face  to  face.  He  had  heard  of  the  early 
exploits  of  this  modern  Claude  Du  Val,  who  was  sup- 
posed to  have  reformed,  and  his  blood  boiled  that  such 
a  villainous  wretch  could  wander  about  scot  free. 

It  was  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  about  1822  or  there- 
abouts, when  the  great  county  fair  was  in  progress  at 
Morris  Hills,  one  of  the  leading  towns  above  the  New 
York  State  line,  adjacent  to  the  Indian  reservations. 
All  manner  of  persons  were  attracted  by  the  horse 
races,  displays  of  cattle,  Indian  foot  races  and  lacrosse 
games,  as  well  as  the  more  questionable  side  shows  and 
gambling  performances. 

Abram  Antoine's  Indian  friends  had  been  sobering 
him  up  for  weeks,  and  he  presented  a  pretty  good 
appearance  for  a  man  of  over  sixty,  when  he  appeared 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  217 

to  challenge  -all  comers  in  tests  of  marksmanship  with 
the  rifle.  Never  had  "The  Chief,"  as  everybody  called 
him,  done  better  than  the  afternoon  of  the  first  day  of 
the  fair.  The  wild  pigeons  were  flying  high  overhead 
in  the  clear,  blue  atmosphere  of  that  fine  crisp  autumn 
day,  but  whenever  he  turned  his  rifle  upwards  he 
brought  one  down  for  the  edification  and  applause  of 
the  crowd. 

Just  as  he  had  shot  a  pigeon,  his  keen  eye  noticed  a 
medium-sized,  fair-haired  man,  loudly  dressed,  edging 
hurriedly  through  the  throng,  as  if  trying  to  get  away. 
Antoine  had  never  seen  Nitschman  except  that  night 
when  he  had  trampled  him  into  tht  mud,  but  this  fel- 
low's size  and  general,  demeanor  corresponded  with 
his  mental  conception  of  the  one  that  he  had  ever  after- 
wards regretted  that  he  had  not  slain. 

Moving  with  rapid  strides  through  the  crowd,  pig- 
mies beside  his  giant  stature,  he  blocked  his  little  ene- 
my's further  progress.  "Nitschman,  I  believe  you  are," 
he  said. 

"No,  no;  that  hain't  my  name,"  spluttered  the  short 
man,  coloring  to  the  roots  of  his  faded  yellow  hair. 

"Yes,  it  is,  Chief,"  yelled  a  young  Indian  who  was 
standing  close  by. 

That  confirmation  was  all  that  Abram  Antoine,  bad 
Indian,  wanted.  Swinging  his  rifle  above  the  crowd, 
he  brought  it  down  with  terrific  force  on  the  head  of 
his  foe,  crashing  right  through  his  high,  flat  brimmed 
beaver  hat  and  shattering  the  lock. 

To  use  the  language  of  Jim  Jacobs,  Nitschman  fell  to 


218 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


the  turf  like  a  "white  steer,"  and  laid  there,  weltering 
in  blood,  for  he  was  dead. 

All  the  latent  hate  and  jealousy  in  the  crowd  against 
Indians  immediately  found  vent,  and  an  angry  mob 
literally  drove  Abram  Antoine,  bad  Indian,  out  of  the 
fair  grounds  to  the  town  lockup.  It  was  some  time 
during  1823  that  he'  expiated  his  crime  on  the  gallows. 


XVI. 

Do  You  Believe  in  Ghosts? 

AD.  KARSTETTER,  painstaking  local  histor- 
ian, tells  us  that  there  was  no  more  noteworthy 
•  spot  in  the  annals  of  mountainous  Pennsylvania 
than  the  old  Washington  Inn  at  Logansville.  Built 
after  the  fashion  of  an  ancient  English  hostelry,  with 
its  inn-yard  surrounded  by  sheds  and  horse  stables,  it 
presented  a  most  picturesque  appearance  to  discerning 
travelers.  The  passage  of  time  had  oblierated  it,  long 
before  the  great  fire  on  June  24,  1918,  swept  the  town, 
removing  even  the  landmarks  which  would  have  showed 
where  the  old-time  inn  was  situated. 

Many  are  the  tales,  grave  or  gay,  clustered  about  its 
memory,  far  more,  says  Mr.  Karstetter,  than  were 
connected  with  the  Logan  Hotel,  run  by  the  Coles, 
which  was  erected  at  a  much  later  day,  just  when  the 
old  coaching  days  were  passing  out,  and  the  new  era 
coming  in.  All  of  the  history  that  grew  up  about  the 
Washington  Inn  ante-dated  the  Civil  War,  while  that 
of  the  Logan  Hotel  was  of  the  period  of  that  war  and 
later.  This  gives  one  a  good  mental  picture  of  the  type 
of  legend  interwoven  with  the  annals  of  the  ancient 
Washington  Inn. 

A  winter  rain  had  set  in,  just  at  dusk,  as  the  great 
lumbering  five-horse  coach  (three  wheelers  and  two 
leaders)    from   Hightown  entered  the  straggling  out- 

219 


220  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

skirts  of  Logansville.  The  post  boy  on  the  hoot  blew 
his  long  horn  vociferously,  waking  the  echoes  up 
Summer  Creek,  then  back  again,  clear  to  the  "Grand- 
father Pine"  at  Chadwick's  Gap. 

A  whimsical  old  German,  who  worked  at  Jacob 
Eilert's  pottery,  picked  up  his  old  tin  horn  that  he  used 
to  blow  as  a  boy  when  wolves  or  Indians  were  about, 
and  answered  the  clarion  in  cracked,  uncertain  notes. 
Lights  glimmered  in  cabin  windows,  and  many  a  tallow 
dip,  fat  lamp  or  rushlight  was  held  aloft  to  get  a  good 
view  of  the  coach  as  it  swirled  along  through  the  mud, 
and  its  crowded  company.  Everybody  was  standing 
up,  buttoning  their  coats  and  gathering  together  their 
luggage,  as  the  big,  clumsy  vehicle  checked  up  under 
the  swinging  sign,  on  which  was  painted  the  well- 
loved  features  of  the  Father  of  His  Country. 

The  old  landlord,  his  wife  and  the  hostlers  and 
stable  boys  and  household  help  were  outside  to  assist 
the  travelers  to  alight  and  show  them  into  the  comfort- 
able glow  of  the  lobby. 

"When  do  you  start  out  in  the  morning?"  all  were 
asking  of  the  rosy-cheeked  driver,  although  the  hour 
for  continuing  the  journey  west  from  Logansville  was 
printed  in  big  letters  on  the  rate  card  at  the  posting 
office  at  Hightown,  as  "Sharp,  G.00  A.  M." 

In  the  candle-lit  lobby,  by  a  blazing  fire  of  maple 
logs,  the  travelers  surveyed  one  another,  the  landlord 
and  their  surroundings.  They  were  an  even  dozen  in 
number,  nine  men  and  three  women.  Some  of  the  men 
were  hunters,  and  had  their  Lancaster  rifles  with  them ; 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  221 

the  others  commercial  travelers.  The  women  were  also 
engaged  in  business  pursuits. 

The  stage  was  the  sole  means  of  penetrating  into  the 
back  country,  and  the  canals  and  the  Pennsylvania 
Central  Railroad  (now  known  as  the  Main  Line)  the 
only  methods  of  crossing  the  Keystone  State  in  those 
early  days. 

A  good  supper  was  served — hickory  smoked  ham  and 
eggs,  hot  cakes  and  native  grown  maple  syrup,  and 
plentiful  libations  of  original  Murray  "Sugar  Valley" 
whiskey,  which  put  the  huntsmen  and  the  drummers  in 
capital  humor.  After  the  meal  they  brought  out  their 
pipes  and  sat  in  groups  about  the  fire  in  the  great,  low- 
ceilinged  room.  The  three  women,  who  were  middle- 
aged  and  of  stolid  appearance,  sat  together,  talking  in 
undertones. 

All  at  once,  when  the  fire  suddenly  spluttered  up, 
one  of  the  drummers,  a  big,  black-bearded  fellow,  said 
loudly  enough  so  that  all  could  hear — he  was  evidently 
trying  to  make  the  conversation  general — "In  the 
mountains  they  say  that  it's  a  sign  of  a  storm  when  the 
fire  jumps  up  like  that." 

"And  I  guess  we're  having  it,"  said  another  of  the 
travelers,  a  little  man  with  gray  side  whiskers,  dryly. 

Then,  as  wide  shadows  fell  across  the  floor,  another 
of  the  men,  a  hunter,  ventured  the  remark :  "Do  you 
believe  in  ghosts?" 

There  was  a  pause,  as  if  no  one  wanted  to  take  up 
such  a  very  personal  topic  before  strangers.  It  was 
in  the  days  when  the  Fox  sisters  were  electrifying  all 


222  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

of  Pennsylvania,  including  the  celebrated  Dr.  Elisha 
Kane,  with  their  mediumship,  so  that  it  was  as  popular 
a  topic  then  as  now,  in  the  days  of  Sir  Oliver  Lodge 
and  Mrs.  Herbine. 

At  length  one  of  the  men,  also  a  hunter,  from  Berks 
County,  broke  the  silence  by  asking  if  any  one  present 
had  heard  the  story  of  the  Levan  ghost  of  Oley  Town- 
ship, in  Berks ;  if  not,  he  would  tell  it.  None  had  ever 
heard  it,  so  he  told  of  the  young  Levan  girl  who  had 
lost  her  father,  to  whom  she  was  particularly  attached. 

One  evening,  while  milking,  she  was  seized  with  a 
very  strong  feeling  that  her  father  was  near,  which 
feeling  kept  up  for  a  week,  growing  stronger  daily.  At 
last  one  evening  she  went  into  her  room — the  house 
was  built  all  on  one  floor — and  she  saw  her  father,  as 
natural  as  life,  seated  on  an  old  chest  that  had  come 
from  France,  for  the  Levans  were  Huguenot  refugees. 

The  girl  did  not  seem  to  be  afraid  to  see  her  father, 
about  whom  a  light  seemed  to  radiate,  and  they  con- 
versed some  time  together,  mostly  on  religious  topics. 
Her  mother  and  sisters,  who  were  in  another  room, 
heard  her  talking,  and  the  voice  which  sounded  like 
that  of  the  departed,  and  came  to  the  door,  which  was 
ajar. 

"Who  are  you  talking  to  ?"  the  mother  inquired. 

"To  father — he  is  here;  come  in  and  see  him,"  re- 
plied the  girl,  calmly. 

The  family  was  afraid  to  enter,  remaining  outside 
until  the  conversation  had  finished  and  the  ghost  van- 
ished.    When  the  girl  rejoined  them,  the  side  of  her 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  223 

face  that  had  been  turned  to  her  father  was  slightly 
scorched  or  reddened,  as  if  she  had  been  close  to  a  fire. 
And  that  tenderness  of  skin  remained  as  long  as  she 
lived. 

While  other  versions  of  the  story  have  appeared, 
this  is  the  way  it  was  told  that  stormy  night  in  the 
Washington  Inn  in  the  long  ago. 

The  ice  having  been  broken,  one  of  the  women  spoke 
up,  saying  that  the  part  of  the  story  which  told  of  the 
girl's  face  being  burned  by  the  aura  from  the  ghost 
interested  her  most,  that  over  in  the  Nittany  Valley 
there  was  a  case  in  the  old  Carroll  family  of  a  woman 
who  had  an  only  child  which  she  loved  to  distraction, 
but  which  unfortunately  died.  The  mother  took  on 
terribly,  and  during  the  night  when  she  was  sitting  up 
with  the  little  corpse,  besought  it  to  prove  to  her  that 
the  dead  lived,  if  only  for  just  one  minute. 

In  the  midst  of  her  weeping  and  wailing,  and  romp- 
ing about  the  cold,  dimly-lit  room,  the  dead  child  rose 
up  in  its  little  pine  box  and  motioned  its  sorrowing 
mother  to  come  to  it.  The  woman  ran  to  the  coffin  and 
the  little  one  touched  her  forehead  with  its  finger, 
which  burned  her  like  a  red-hot  poker.  Then  it  sank 
back  with  a  gasp  and  a  groan,  and  was  dead  again. 
Ever  afterwards  there  was  a  sore,  tender  spot  on  the 
woman's  forehead  where  the  corpse  had  touched  it.    

Then  another  of  the  women  told  how  she  had  been 
selling  Bibles  in  the  Great  Smoky  Mountains  in  Ten- 
nessee, and  one  of  the  wheels  of  her  carriage  became 
dished  from  the  bad  roads.     She  had  tried  to  put  up 


224  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

with  a  mountaineer  who  would  not  take  her  in,  and 
gave  her  the  choice  of  sleeping  in  the  barn  with  the 
team  and  the  driver,  or  to  occupy  a  room  in  a  deserted 
Negro  "quarters"  across  the  road. 

All  night  long  she  had  been  annoyed  by  her  candles 
being  blown  out  and  the  door  blowing  open,  though  she 
locked  it  time  and  again. 

It  was  a  commonplace  sort  of  a  ghost  story,  and  one 
of  the  hunters  yawned  at  its  conclusion.  The  evening's 
reminiscences  might  have  ended  then  and  there  if  the 
third  woman  traveler,  the  youngest  and  sturdiest  of 
the  lot,  who  thus  far  had  been  the  quietest,  turned  to 
the  landlord,  who  sat  smoking  in  the  settle,  with  a 
couple  of  his  guests,  asking  him  if  he  remembered  the* 
Big  Calf. 

"What  do  you  know  about  the  Big  Calf?"  he  said, 
quizzically,  looking  at  the  woman  in  order  to  see  if  he 
could  recognize  her. 

"I  know  as  much  as  you  do,  I  reckon,"  she  said.  "I 
lived  in  this  town  for  a  year  learning  millinery  with 
Emilie  Knecht." 

"You  hain't  Annie  Moylan?"  said  the  landlord. 
"I  surely  am,"  responded  the  woman,  "  and  I  knew 
you  well,  Jakey  Kleckner,  in  those  days." 

"Well,  go  on,  then,  and  tell  the  whole  story,  for  it  is 
a  real  ghost  story.  I  calculate  no  one  will  yawn  during 
its  recital,"  said  the  boniface,  sitting  up  very  straight. 

"Long  years  ago,"  began  the  business  woman,  "when 
this  public  house  was  first  opened,  the  landlord's  cow 
gave  birth  to  an  unusual  calf.     At  six  weeks  it  was  as 


~     = 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  225 

big  as  most  heifers  of  six  months,  and  it  was  handsome 
and  intelligent,  a  brown-gray  color — 'Brown  Swiss' 
they  called  the  breed.  All  the  drovers  and  cattle  buyers 
in  the  mountains  wanted  that  calf  for  a  show,  and  her 
fame  spread  all  over  the  'five  counties.' 

"There  were  two  buyers  from  out  about  Greensburg 
that  came  in  all  the  ways  to  get  her,  but  the  price  was 
too  steep.  They  hung  around  all  day,  drinking  with 
the  landlord  in  the  tap  room,  and  though  he  took  too 
much  in  this  drunken  bout,  kept  enough  of  his  wits 
with  him  to  refuse  to  lower  the  price  one  shilling.  The 
next  morning  he  had  to  go  away  on  important  business, 
and  in  the  afternoon  the  drovers  returned,  telling  the 
landlord's  wife  that  they  had  met  her  husband  on  the 
road,  and  he  had  consented  to  accept  a  lower  figure. 

"The  woman  replied  that  while  she  was  sorry  her 
'man'  had  shown  such  weakness  to  change  his  mind  so 
quickly,  when  on  leaving  he  had  told  her  that  he  had 
been  sickened  by  the  importunities  of  the  two  strangers 
the  day  before,  yet  she  claimed  the  calf  as  hers  and  it 
would  not  leave  the  premises  for  any  price,  and  except 
over  her  dead  body.  She  prized  it  especially  since  she 
had  also  raised  the  mother,  which  had  recently  been 
killed  by  a  wandering  panther. 

"The  men  departed  in  an  ugly  mood.  When  the 
boniface  returned  in  the  evening  he  was  indignant  at 
what  his  wife  told  him;  he  had  not  met  the  drovers  on 
the  road,  and  if  he  had,  the  calf  was  not  for  sale. 

"Shortly  after  his  arrival  a  German  Gypsy,  one  of 
the  Einsicks,  appeared  in  the  inn-yard  with  a  big  she- 


226  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

bear,  a  brown  one,  which  he  took  about  the  mountains 
to  dance  and  amuse  the  crowds  at  public  houses,  fairs 
and  political  meetings.  The  stables  were  full,  but  after 
some  arguing  the  landlord  consented  to  let  the  bear 
occupy  the  box  stall  where  he  kept  the  Big  Calf,  which 
he  removed  to  the  smoke  house. 

"During  the  night,  which  was  very  dark,  the  covetous 
drovers  returned,  and,  not  knowing  of  the  Big  Calf's 
changed  quarters,  one  of  them  went  into  steal  it.  In 
the  darkness  the  bear  seized  him  and  hugged  him  al- 
most to  death.  His  companion,  vexed  at  his  slowness 
in  fetching  out  the  Big  Calf,  called  to  him,  and  he  made 
known  his  predicament. 

"There  was  no  way  to  free  the  captive  but  to  begin 
clubbing  the  bear,  which  set  up  such  a  loud  growling 
that  it  aroused  the  owner  and  the  landlord,  who  ran  out 
with  pistols,  just  in  time  to  see  the  two  would-be  cattle 
thieves  decamping  from  the  inn-yard.  They  both  fired 
after  them,  but  the  scoundrels  got  off  scot  free.  They 
never  returned. 

"The  Big  Calf  grew  into  a  very  handsome  cow,  and 
was  the  pride  qf  the  mountain  community.  It  was 
always  brought  in  from  pasture  at  night  and  milked, 
lest  it  share  its  mother's  fate  and  be  pulled  down  by  a 
Pennsylvania  lion. 

"One  evening,  while  the  landlord's  only  daughter,  a 
very  pretty,  graceful  girl,  was  driving  the  cow  home, 
she  was  joined  by  a  handsome,  dark-complexioned 
young  man,  mounted  on  a  superb  black  horse.  He 
accompanied  her  to  the  stables,  where  he  watched  her 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  227 

milk,  and  then  put  up  for  the  night  at  the  inn.  Next 
day  he  became  very  sick,  and  several  doctors  were  called 
in,  who  bled  him,  but  could  not  diagnose  his  ailment. 

"Meanwhile  he  proposed  marriage  to  "the  landlovd's 
daughter,  who  nursed  him,  pretending  that  he  was  a 
young  man  of  quality  from  Pittsburg,  which  flattered 
the  innkeeper  and  his  daughter  mightily. 

"All  this  while  he  was  trying  to  learn  if  the  landlord 
kept  any  large  sum  of  money  in  the  house.  It  was  not 
long  until  the  girl  confided  to  him  that  her  father  had 
gone  into  debt  buying  a  farm  in  Nippenose  Bottom, 
as  he  wanted  to  retire  from  the  tavern  business.  It 
was  there  where  he  was  when  the  two  dishonest  drovers 
from  Greensburg  had  returned  and  tried  to  euchre  his 
wife  out  of  the  Big  Calf. 

"Satisfied  that  there  was  no  booty  in  the  house,  the 
fellow  rose  one  morning  before  daybreak,  dressed 
quietly,  although  the  girl  was  in  the  room,  wrote  a 
note  to  her  which  he  left  on  the  clothes  press,  and  made 
his  escape.  The  wording  of  the  letter  ran  about  as  fol- 
lows: 

"  'Dearest  Love : — I  am  sorry  to  have  left  without 
saying  goodbye,  but  my  intentions  were  not  sincere, 
-for  while  I  admired  your  beauty  and  good  sense,  which 
none  can  deny,  I  was  only  here  to  find  out  where  your 
father  kept  his  money.  But  since  he  has  none,  and  has 
gone  into  debt,  I  need  remain  no  longer.  I  thank  you 
for  all  the  information  you  gave  me,  and  for  your 
kind  attentions.     Gratefully  yours,  David  Lewis.' 

"The  poor  girl  had  been  one  of  the  dupes  of  the 


228  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

celebrated  'Lewis  the  Robber,'  or  some  one  imperson- 
ating him,  as  he  had  many  alter  egos,  some  more  daring 
than  himself,  and  understudies.  If  half  the  stories  told 
of  his  exploits  were  true,  he  would  have  had  to  be  a 
hundred  years  old  to  do  them,  and  get  to  so  many 
places. 

"At  any  rate,  the  pretty  girl  was  frightfully  cut  up 
by  her  misfortune,  and  took  to  the  bed  lately  vacated 
by  'Lewis.'  She  had  told  all  of  her  friends  that  she 
was  to  marry  in  a  fortnight,  and  go  to  live  in  a  big 
house  on  Grant's  Hill,  Pittsburg,  and  it  was  all  terrible 
and  humiliating.  Rather  than  let  the  real  story  get  out, 
the  girl's  parents  connived  with  her  to  say  that  word 
had  been  brought  that  the  young  gentleman,  while 
riding  near  Standing  Stone  Town,  had  been  thrown 
from  his  horse  and  killed.  Hence  when  the  girl  was 
able  to  reappear,  she  was  dressed  in  black,  as  if  in 
mourning  for  her  dashing  sweetheart. 

"The  first  time  she  came  out  of  doors  she  went  for  a 
walk  alone  just  about  dusk,  so  that  not  many  people 
would  be  abroad,  towards  the  lower  part  of  the  village. 
She  was  never  seen  or  heard  of  again.  There  was  no 
stream  or  pool  big  enough  for  her  to  drown  herself  in ; 
a  panther  could  hardly  have  dragged  her  off  and  not 
left  signs  of  a  struggle ;  she  might  have  fallen  in  a 
cave  or  sink,  it  is  true.  At  all  events,  it  seemed  as  if 
the  earth  had  swallowed  her  up.  Perhaps  Lewis,  or 
whoever  he  was,  came  back  after  her. 

"When  I  came  to  Logansville  to  learn  millinery  with 
Emilie  Knecht,  I  lived  in  her  house  over  the  store,  just 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  229 

across  the  way  from  this  hotel ;  the  building  was  burned 
down  afterwards.  How  such  a  gifted  milliner  came 
to  settle  off  here  in  the  mountains  I  could  never  tell, 
but  I  suppose  mountain  ladies  must  have  nice  hats  just 
like  those  in  the  valleys. 

"We  became  good  friends,  and  very  confidential, 
though  at  that  time  she  was  over  thirty  years  of  age 
and  I  was  at  least  a  dozen  years  younger.  She  would 
never  tell  where  she  came  from,  except  that  it  was 
down  country,  and  there  seemed  to  be  something  on 
her  mind  which  weighed  on  her  terribly.  Though  I 
think  she  was  the  loveliest  looking  woman  I  have  ever 
seen,  she  cared  absolutely  nothing  for  the  men.  As 
she  believed  in  ghosts,  and  so  did  I,  we  compared  ex- 
periences. 

"I  told  her  of  a  ghostly  episode  which  left  a  deep 
impression  on  my  childish  nature,  which  happened 
when  I  was  six  years  old.  My  father  worked  in  the 
mines,  and  was  on  'night  shift.'  Mother  locked  the 
doors  and  we  all  went  to  bed.  Mother's  room  adjoined 
mine  and  my  sister's.  After  we  were  in  bed  for  some 
time,  but  not  yet  asleep,  a  man — he  seemed  to  be  black 
— came  to  the  door  which  led  from  mother's  room  to 
ours,  and  smiled  at  us.  He  drew  back,  re-appeared 
and  smiled  again,  or  rather  grinned,  showing  his  white 
teeth ;  it  was  a  peculiar  smile. 

"I  wanted  to  call  mother,  but  sister,  who  was  eight, 
said  I  must  not  speak,  I  must  keep  very  still. 

"Next  morning  we  asked  father  what  time  he  came 
home,  and  he  said  'not  until  morning.'     We  told  our 


230  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

experience,  but  father  and  mother  seemed  to  think  we 
had  only  imagined  it. 

"But  two  persons  do  not  imagine  the  same  thing  at 
the  same  time.  Besides,  we  were  not  afraid.  I  have 
often  wondered  what  it  was.  My  sister  died  shortly 
after  that.    Could  it  have  been  a  'warning/  I  wonder? 

"The  pretty  milliner's  story  was  even  more  startling 
and  unusual.  She  declared  that  her  grandmother's 
ghost  had  come  to  her  bedside  every  night  since  she 
was  a  small  child.  She  said  that  she  never  feared  it, 
but  took  it  as  a  matter  of  course.  I  think  that  these 
nightly  visitations  took  a  whole  lot  out  of  her.  I  can 
see  her  yet  running  down  the  steep,  narrow  stairs  in 
the  mornings  to  the  shop  where  I  was  working — I  was 
always  an  early  riser — her  face  looking  as  if  it  had 
been  whitewashed,  more  so  perhaps  because  her  hair 
and  eyes  were  so  dark. 

"She  was  often  nervous  and  irritable,  and  I  laid  it  all 
to  the  vital  force  which  the  ghost  must  be  drawing  out 
of  her  to  materialize,  but  she  said  it  was  only  her  liver 
which  made  her  so  dauncy.  I  begged  her  to  let  me 
sleep  with  her,  that  I  did  not  think  that  the  ghost 
would  come  if  I  was  present,  and  if  it  did  it  could  draw 
on  some  of  my  vitality,  as  I  was  a  big,  strong,  hearty 
girl.  She  would  not  let  me  sleep  with  her,  saying  that 
she  had  gotten  used  to  the  ghost. 

"One  evening  Miss  Knecht  and  I  were  invited  to  a 
chicken  and  waffle  supper  at  the  home  of  old  Mrs. 
Eilert,  wife  of  the  potter,  whose  house  was  the  last 
one  in  town.    In  those  days  there  was  quite  a  distance 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  231 

not  built  up  between  the  potter's  home  and  the  rest  of 
the  village.  The  holidays  were  approaching,  and  we 
were  getting  ready  for  the  Christmas  trade,  conse- 
quently stayed  later  in  the  shop  than  we  had  expected. 

"As  I  said  before,  Mrs.  Eilert  lived  at  the  extreme 
end  of  town.  When  we  were  a  few  squares  from  home 
we  noticed  a  woman  dressed  in  mourning  who  seemed 
to  be  following  us,  or  at  least  going  in  our  direction. 
She  was  an  entire  stranger  to  us,  and  we  wondered 
where  she  could  be  going ;  so  each  house  we  came  to  I 
would  look  back  to  see  whether  she  entered.  When 
we  were  half  a  square  from  where  we  were  going,  we 
passed  a  house  which  stood  back  pretty  far  from  the 
road.  There  was  considerable  ground  to  the  place, 
and  a  high  board  fence  all  around.  After  we  passed 
the  gate  I  turned,  as  before,  to  see  whether  this  woman 
would  enter.  She  did  not.  I  watched  her  until  she  was 
past  the  gate  quite  a  ways.  I  turned  and  told  my  com- 
panion she  had  not  entered,  and  immediately  turned  to 
look  at  her  again,  and  she  was  gone ! 

"Where  could  she  have  gone  in  those  few  seconds  in 
which  I  was  not  looking  at  her  ?  Everywhere  there  was 
open  space — nowhere  for  her  to  hide.  Had  she  jumped 
the  fence  she  could  not  have  gotten  out  of  sight  in  those 
few  seconds.    I  have  often  wondered  since  what  it  was. 

"When  we  reached  the  Eilert  home  I  noticed  that 
Miss  Knecht  was  in  a  highly  unstrung  condition,  more 
so  than  I  had  ever  seen  her  before.  We  told  the  story, 
and  the  old  potter  smiled  grimly,  saying:  'You  surely 
have   seen  the  ghost  of  the  landlord's  daughter  who 


232  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

disappeared,  all  dressed  in  black,  after  being  jilted  by 
the  robber.' 

"Emilie  shook  her  pretty  dark  curls,  muttering  that 
she  feared  it  was  something  worse.  She  was  afraid 
to  go  home  that  night,  and  we  spent  the  night  with  our 
friends;  yet  she  would  not  remain  unless  given  a  room 
by  herself.  In  the  morning  she  was  in  a  most  despond- 
ent mood ;  she  had  not  seen  her  grandmother — what 
could  it  mean? 

"The  woman  in  black  must  have  been  her  'familiar' 
leaving  her,  warning  her  to  that  effect,  and  not  the 
ghost  of  the  landlord's  daughter  after  all,  she  main- 
tained. I  tried  to  reassure  her  that  she  would  see  her 
grandmother  once  she  was  in  her  own  room,  but  next 
morning  brought  the  tidings  that  the  faithful  spirit  was 
again  absent.  This  continued  for  a  week,  my  friend 
becoming  more  nervous  and  despondent. 

"One  morning  she  did  not  come  downstairs,  so  at 
eight  o'clock  I  went  up  after  her,  to  see  if  she  were  ill. 
The  bed  was  empty,  and  had  not  been  slept  in.  I 
searched  the  house  and  found  her  lying  dead  on  a  mis- 
erable cot  in  the  cellar — beautiful  in  death — which  an 
elderly  Dutchman  sometimes  occupied,  when  cutting 
wood  and  taking  care  of  the  garden  for  us.  She  had 
drunk  a  potion  of  arsenic  that  she  had  bought  some 
months  before  to  poison  rats  which  infested  the  cellar, 
but  her  lovely  face  was  not  marked. 

"I  left  town  shortly  afterwards,  and  have  never  been 
back  until  tonight." 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


233 


The  burly  commercial  traveler  who  had  started  the 
general  conversation  stroked  his  long  black  beard. 

"I  guess  it  is  time  for  all  of  us  to  retire.  I  don't 
think  we  need  to  ask  this  lady  again/  'Do  you  believe 
in  ghosts  ?'  " 


XVII. 

A  Stone's  Throw 

WHEN  land  warrants  were  allotted  to  Jacob 
Marshall  and  Jacob  Mintges,  of  the  Hebrew 
colony  at  Schaefferstown,  there  were  elaborate 
preparations  made  by  these  two  lifelong  friends  to 
migrate  to  the  new  country  of  the  Christunn.  That  the 
warrants  were  laid  side  by  side  made  the  situation 
doubly  pleasant,  a  compensation  in  a  measure  for  any 
regrets  at  leaving  the  banks  of  the  beautiful  Milbach. 
The  country  was  becoming  too  closely  settled,  opportu- 
nities were  circumscribed,  and  the  liberality  of  the 
Proprietary  Government  should  be  taken  advantage  of. 

When  the  two  groups  of  pioneers  were  ready  to  start 
for  the  new  home,  it  was  like  some  scene  from  the 
patriarchal  days  of  the  Old  Testament.  The  long,  lean, 
gaunt,  black-bearded  Jews,  black-capped,  cloaked  to 
their  heels,  and  carrying  big  staffs,  led  the  way,  fol- 
lowed by  their  families  and  possessions  of  live  stock, 
farming  and  household  utensils.  Each  head  of  a  family 
had  an  Indian  and  Negro  servant  or  two,  which  added 
to  the  picturesqueness  of  the  caravans.  Dogs,  part 
wolf,  herded  the  flocks  of  sheep,  goats  and  young  cat- 
tle, while  the  women  rode  on  mares,  the  foals  of  which 
trotted  along  unsteadily  at  their  sides. 

Rachel,  Jacob  Marshall's  handsome  daughter,  was 
mounted  on  a  piebald  filly;  on  her  back  was  slung  her 

234 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  235 

violin,  a  genuine  Joseph  Guarnerius,  with  which  she 
discoursed  sacred  music  around  the  campfire  in  the 
evenings,  just  as  her  ancestors  may  have  done  on  some 
harp  or  cruit  in  remote  days  in  Palestine  or  in  the  Ara- 
bian highlands. 

These  German  Jews,  who  came  to  Pennsylvania  in 
1702  to  re-convert  the  Indians,  whom  they  believed  to 
be  the  lost  tribe  of  Israel,  back  to  the  ancient  faith  of 
Moses,  while  destined  to  fail  as  proselyters,  became 
one  of  the  potent  root  sources  of  the  so-called  Pennsyl- 
vania Dutch,  "The  Black  Dutch"  of  the  Christunn, 
Philadelphia,  New  York  and  the  World. 

The  Pennsylvania  Dutch  are  the  most  adaptable  race 
in  the  world,  altering  the  spelling  of  their  names,  their 
genealogies  and  traditions  with  every  generation.  They 
find  success  in  all  callings  and  in  all  walks  of  life  like 
the  true  Nomads  that  they  are.  A  Pennsylvania  Dutch- 
man's lineage  is  kaleidoscopic  any  way — possibly 
German,  Jewish,  probably  Indian,  with  sure  admixtures 
of  Dutch,  Quaker,  Swiss,  Scotch-Irish,  Greek,  Bohe- 
mian, Spanish  or  Huguenot.  And  there  were  some 
propagandists  shallow  enough  to  try  to  line  them  up 
with  Kaiserism  in  the  days  just  anterior  to  the  World 
War,  and  call  them  "Pennsylvania  Germans." 

Their  very  swarfhiness  and  leanness,  the  intenseness 
of  their  black  eyes,  gave  the  lie  to  any  Teutonic  affilia- 
tions, despite  the  jargon  that  they  speak.  And  what  a 
race  of  giants  they  have  produced — Pershing,  Hoover, 
Gorgas,  Schwab,  Replogle,  Sproul,  the  Wanamakers, 
Newton  Diehl  Baker,  Jane  Addams — a  group  as  potent 


236  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

as  any  other  in  the  sublime  effort  of  making  the  world 
"safe  for  democracy." 

When  the  pilgrims  reached  the  Karoondinha,  they 
were  met  by  the  local  agents  and  surveyors  of  the  Pro- 
prietors, who  escorted  them  to  their  new  estates,  which 
were  bounded  on  the  south  by  the  Christunn,  now  re- 
named "Middle  Creek,"  and  on  the  north  by  the  craggy 
heights  of  the  culminating  pinnacle  of  Jack's  Mountain, 
the  famed  "High  Top,"  climbed  by  the  Pennsylvania 
Alpine  Club,  August  24,  1919. 

A  large  gray  fox,  or  Colishay,  having  led  Mintges' 
dogs  away  from  the  camp,  caused  this  "Father  in  Is- 
rael" to  be  absent  during  the  critical  moments  when 
the  line  between  his  property  and  that  of  Marshall  was 
being  confirmed  by  the  Proprietary  surveyors.  When 
he  returned,  exultingly  swinging  the  fox's  pelt  above 
his  head  and  looking  all  the  world  like  a  lower  Fifth 
Avenue  fur  jobber,  the  day  was  almost  spent  and  the 
surveyors  were  gathering  up  their  instruments. 

Marshall,  who  was  a  kindly  and  just  man,  tried  to 
explain  to  his  friend,  before  the  sun  went  down,  just 
where  the  line  was  blazed.  It  seemed  fair  enough  at 
the  time  to  Mintges.  Later  on,  when  alone  one  day, 
he  walked  over  the  line,  comparing  it  with  the  warrant, 
and  it  did  not  seem  to  satisfy  him  as  much.  He  be- 
lieved that  the  surveyors  had  deviated  a  rod  or  two  all 
along,  to  his  disadvantage.  Doubtless  if  such  was  the 
case,  it  had  been  due  to  their  haste  to  get  through,  for 
they  had  a  daily  grind  of  similar  cases,  but  Marshall, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  237 

he  thought,  should  have  compelled  them  to  follow  the 
parchment  drafts,  and  not  uncertain  instruments. 

Nevertheless,  he  decided  to  say  nothing  to  his  friend ; 
they  had  always  been  good  intimates,  why  should  their 
relations  be  jeopardized  for  a  paltry  rod  or  two. 
Mintges  confided  the  mistake  to  his  wife,  and  later  on 
to  his  children.  It  was  unfortunate,  but  where  there 
there  were  so  few  neighbors  it  was  hardly  worth  a  fight. 

As  Mintges  grew  older  the  matter  began  to  prey  on 
his  mind,  to  obsess  him.  It  worried  him  until  his  head 
ached,  and  he  could  not  drive  it  away.  Marshall  and 
his  heirs  were  profiting  at  his  expense ;  it  should  not  be 
allowed  to  rest  that  way. 

The  surveyors  had  placed  a  great  stone  at  the  upper 
corner  of  the  line,  at  the  slope  of  the  mountain,  and 
there  Jacob  Mintges  repaired  one  moonlight  night, 
armed  with  a  crowbar,  and  reset  the  stone  two  rods 
on  the  alleged  domain  of  Jacob  Marshall.  Mintges  was 
an  old  man  at  the  time,  rabbinical  in  appearance,  and 
he  chuckled  and  "washed  his  hands"  as  he  stood  and 
viewed  the  fruits  of  his  labor.  A  wrong  had  been 
quietly  righted ;  why  hadn't  he  done  it  twenty  years  ago  ? 

It  so  happened  that  Jacob  Marshall  went  out  for 
chestnuts  a  week  or  so  after  Mintges'  performance, 
and  saw  the  altered  position  of  the  stone.  Instead  of 
hastening  to  his  friend's  house  and  asking  him  for  a 
frank  explanation,  he,  not  being  conscious  of  any 
wrong-doing,  moved  the  stone  back  to  its  original  posi- 
tion, to  rebuke  the  presumptuous  Mintges.     Then  he 


238  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

stood  admiring  his  work,  while  the  stroked  his  long 
black  beard. 

A  few  weeks  later  Mintges  and  his  sons  went  to  the 
mountain  to  brush  out  a  road  on  which  to  haul  logs 
with  their  oxteams  in  the  winter-time.  One  of  the 
boys,  named  Lazarus,  called  his  father's  attention  to 
the  stone's  position.  It  made  the  old  man  "see  red," 
and  he  would  not  rest  until,  with  the  aid  of  his  sons,  it 
was  again  set  where  he  felt  it  should  rightfully  be. 

All  this  produced  a  coolness,  almost  a  feud,  between 
the  two  families,  which  kept  up  until  Jacob  Mintges 
died  at  the  age  of  eighty  years.  Jacob  Marshall,  friend 
of  his  youth  and  companion  of  his  "trek"  to  the  wil- 
derness, did  not  attend  the  obsequies. 

It  was  not  many  nights  afterwards  when  reports 
were  made  on  all  sides  that  Mintges'  spook  was  abroad, 
walking  about  the  fields  and  lanes  adjacent  to  Jacob 
Marshall's  home,  his  arms  holding  aloft  a  great  block 
of  stone.  Marshall  saw  the  apparition  several  times, 
but  shunned  it  as  he  had  the  living  Mintges  the  last 
years  of  his  life. 

What  he  wanted  was  very  plain,  for  sometimes  the 
night  wind  wafted  the  mournful  words  down  Marshall's 
bedroom  chimney  (for  he  always  kept  his  windows 
nailed  shut)  :  "Where  shall  I  put  it;  oh,  where  shall 
I  put  it?" 

The  ghost  began  his  hauntings  in  the  spring,  kept  it 
up  all  summer,  fall,  winter,  then  another  spring  and 
summer.    He  had  affixed  himself  to  the  family,  Mar- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  239 

shall  thought,  as  he  racked  his  brain  to  lay  the  trouble- 
some night  prowler. 

It  was  during  the  fall  of  the  second  year  that  a  big 
party  of  moonlight  'coon  hunters  went  up  the  lane 
which  led  between  the  Marshall  and  Mintges  farms, 
headed  for  the  rocky  heights  of  Jack's  Mountain.  In 
the  party  was  Otto  Gleim,  the  half-witted  drunkard  of 
Selin's  Grove,  little,  dumpy,  long-armed  High  German, 
high-shouldered  Otto  Gleim,  who  was  left  at  the  foot 
of  the  mountain  to  hold  one  of  the  lanterns. 

Gleim  was  half  full  on  this  occasion,  as  it  was  in  the 
cider  season,  and  he  staggered  about  under  the  aged 
chestnut  trees,  while  his  wits  revolved  in  his  head  with 
the  speed  of  an  electric  fan.  He  felt  lonesome,  sick 
and  uncomfortable.  It  was  a  relief  to  see  a  great,  tall 
figure,  with  a  long,  black  beard,  approaching  him, 
holding  aloft  a  huge  stone.  It  looked  like  "Uncle  Jake" 
Marshall  at  first;  no,  it  wasn't^it  was  no  one  else  but 
the  late  "Uncle  Jake"  Mintges,  his  neighbor. 

As  the  gaunt  figure  drew  nearer,  it  began  groaning 
and  wailing:  "Where  shall  I  put  it;  oh,  where  shall  I 
put  it?"  in  tones  as  melancohly  as  those  of  the  Great 
Horned  Owl  on  a  New  Year's  Eve. 

"Put  it  where  it  belongs,"  spluttered  Otto  Gleim,  the 
drunkard,  with  a  gleam  of  super-human  prescience, 
and  lo  and  behold,  the  ghost  set  the  stone  where  it  had 
been  for  twenty  years  after  the  surveyors  had  placed 
it  there.  Then  the  apparition  vanished,  and  Gleim,  in 
a  matter-of-fact  way,  sat  down  on  the  cornerstone, 
where  he  waited  until  the  'coon  hunters  returned. 


240  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Jake  Mintges'  ghost  ceased  to  wander  and  lament, 
but  instead  allied  itself  closely  with  Jake  Marshall's 
family  as  private  stock  banshee,  warning,  token  or 
familiar.  Whenever  a  disaster  was  due  to  any  member 
he  would  show  his  grinning  tusks,  as  much  as  to  say: 
"Now,  make  the  best  of  what  is  coming;  life  is  short 
anyway." 

No  doubt  his  visits  of  forewarning  strengthened  the 
nerves  of  the  family  to  face  trouble  with  a  greater  de- 
gree of  equanimity;  in  all  events  the  poor  old  fellow 
meant  it  that  way.  Old  and  young,  rich  and  poor,  in 
cities  or  in  the  wilds,  wherever  the  blood  of  Jacob 
Marshall  flowed,  the  ghost  of  Mintges  was  in  evidence 
at  the  climacteric  moments  of  their  lives.  They  were 
all  used  to  him,  and  never  resented  his  visits  or  tried 
in  any  way  to  lay  him. 

The  scene  shifts  to  one  of  the  last  to  encounter  this 
strange  old  ghost.  It  is  in  a  great  city,  in  a  high- 
ceilinged,  yet  gloomy  room,  furnished  in  the  plush 
and  mahogany  of  the  middle  eighties  of  the  last  cen- 
tury. A  very  dark  girl,  with  full  pouting  lips  and 
black  eyes,  half  closed  and  sullen,  yet  beautiful  in  the 
first  flush  of  youth  withal,  is  seated  on  one  of  the  up- 
holstered easy  chairs.  Standing  in  the  bay  window 
facing  her  is  a  very  tall  man,  equally  dark,  his  droop- 
ing black  mustache  and  long  Prince  Albert  coat  making 
him  appear  at  least  ten  years  older  than  the  twenty- 
eight  which  was  his  correct  age. 

On  a  centre  table,  with  a  top  of  brown  onyx,  on 
which    were   also    several   bisque   ornaments,    lay   an 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  241 

ancient  violin  and  bow,  a  veritable  Joseph  Guarnerius. 
It  was  made  of  a  curious  piece  of  spruce  which,  when 
growing  in  some  remote  forest  of  Northern  Italy,  had 
been  punctured  by  a  "Gran  Pico"  or  large  green  wood- 
pecker, and  the  wood  stained,  giving  a  unique  and  pic- 
turesque touch  to  this  specimen  of  the  skill  of  the  oid 
master  of  Cremona. 

"I  have  determined  to  go  home  tonight,"  said  the 
dark  girl,  with  decision,  "and  nothing  can  stop  me. 
When  any  of  our  family  see  the  face  of  Jacob  Mintges, 
it  means  disaster  to  some  one  near  to  us ;  my  mother 
and  her  old  parents,  whom  I  left  so  suddenly,  may  be 
grieving  to  death ;  I  will  go  to  them  tonight." 

The  tall  man  fumbled  with  his  long  fingers  among 
the  tassels  on  the  back  of  a  chair  in  front  of  him,  as  if 
trying  to  frame  up  a  decisive  answer.  "This  is  what  I 
call  base  ingratitude,"  he  faltered  at  length,  in  high, 
almost  feminine  tones.  "Just  when  I  have  had  your 
musical  talent  developed,  turning  you  from  a  common 
fiddler  •  to  a  finished  artiste,  and  having  you  almost 
ready  to  make  your  stage  debut  as  a  popular  juvenile, 
you  leave  me  in  the  lurch,  and  all  because  you  imag- 
ined you  saw  a  ghost — imagined,  I  say,  for  there  are 
no  such  things." 

The  dark  girl  sat  perfectly  still,  biting  her  full  red 
lips,  her  immoble  face  as  if  made  of  ivory. 

"What  are  you,  anyway  ?"  she  finally  responded ; 
"nothing  but  what  my  father  called  a  mountebank;  he 
hated  them,  an  actor,  and  I  owe  you  nothing  but  con- 


242  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

tempt  for  having  brought  me  here  to  be  your  plaything 
while  my  youth  and  good  looks  last." 

Then,  as  she  got  up  and  started  towards  a  door, 
the  tall  man  darted  after  her. 

"I'll  not  let  you  make  a  fool  of  yourself,"  he  hissed, 
theatrically.  Catching  her  by  the  wrists,  he  attempted 
to  detain  her. 

"Sit  down ;  we  must  have  this  out." 

She  was  almost  as  tall  as  he,  and  very  muscular,  and 
the  Jewish  strain  in  her  blood  was  hot.  The  pair 
struggled  about  the  room,  until  the  man  in  his  anger 
seized  the  old  violin  and  hit  her  a  heavy  blow  over  the 
head.  She  sank  down  on  the  floor  in  a  limp  mass,  and 
the  man,  picking  up  his  brown  Fedora,  ran  out  of  the 
room  and  down  the  long  flight  of  stairs  and  out  into 
the  street.  The  girl  was  not  badly  hurt,  only  stunned, 
and  came  to  herself  in  about  fifteen  minutes.  She  saw 
that  she  was  alone,  and  the  Guarnerius  was  around  her 
neck. 

Gathering  herself  up,  her  first  thought  was  for  the 
violin,  and  tying  the  smallest  chips  in  her  handkerchief 
she  went  to  the  inner  room  and  began  to  pack  a  large 
portmanteau.  Then  she  put  on  her  hat,  veil  and  cloak 
and,  locking  the  apartment  door  and  slipping  the  key 
in  her  grip,  she  left  the  house  and  hurried  down  town 
towards  the  railroad  depot. 

It  was  dark  when  she  reached  there,  and  she  quickly 
boarded  a  local,  to  wait  in  the  suburbs  until  the  night 
sleeping  car  train  for  Derrstown  made  its  stop  there. 
All  went  well,  and  by  midnight  she  was  boarding  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  243 

sleeper  and  was  soon  afterwards  undressed  and  under 
the  sooty-smelling  blankets  in  a  lower  berth. 

She  did  not  know  how  long  she  had  been  sleeping 
when  the  train  suddenly  stopped  with  a  jerk  and  she 
was  awake.  Looking  around,  she  saw  a  face  peering 
through  the  curtains.  It  was  not  the  porter,  but  the 
leering,  open  mouth,  old  Jacob  Mintges  himself,  tusks 
and  all. 

Twice  now  in  twenty-four  hours  he  had  come  to  her, 
for  the  night  previous  she  had  waked  just  m  the  gray 
half  light  before  dawn,  and  had  seen  him  standing 
grinning  by  her  bedside. 

An  inexperienced  person  might  have  screamed,  but 
not  so  Eugenie  Carlevan,  the  great-great-granddaughter 
of  Jacob  Marshall.  When  their  eyes  met,  Mintges 
quickly  withdrew,  and  the  girl,  wide  awake,  began 
thinking  over  the  past  years  of  her  life,  as  the  train 
again  started  to  roll  on  into  the  night.  She  had  always 
been  fond  of  music  and  theatres.  The  violin  given  to 
her  on  her  sixth  birthday  by  her  grandfather  Marshall 
had  become  the  evil  genius  of  her  destiny.  Her  father 
had  died  and  her  mother  was  too  much  of  a  drudge  to 
control  her.  She  had  attended  every  circus,  burlesque, 
minstrel  show  or  dramatic  performance  that  had  come 
to  the  town  where  she  had  lived,  since  she  was  thirteen 
years  old. 

When  the  young  Thespian  who  called  himself  Der- 
ment  Catesby  had  come  to  Swinefordstown,  where  she 
was  visiting  an  aunt,  with  the  "Lights  O'London" 
Company,  she  had  fallen  violently  in  love  with  him, 


244  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

had  made  his  acquaintance,  and  he,  struck  by  her  im- 
perious beauty  and  musical  predilections,  had  asked 
her  to  go  away  with  him. 

She  had  joined  him  a  few  days  later  in  Sunbury, 
bringing  her  precious  violin,  and  traveled  with  him  to 
the  great  city.  There  the  actor  soon  signed  up  to  play 
in  repertoire  at  a  stock  company.  She  liked  him  well 
enough,  despite  his  vanity  and  selfishness,  lor  he  was 
very  handsome.  It  was  before  the  days  when  actors 
were  clean-shaven  like  every  servant,  and  looked  much 
like  other  people.  However  much  she  had  ioved  him, 
Jacob  Mintges'  ghost  had  revealed  a  more  pressing 
duty  twice,  and  she  was  on  her  way  home. 

Soon  she  fell  asleep  again,  and  did  not  wake  until 
the  porter's  face  appeared  to  notify  her  that  the  train 
was  leaving  Sunbury.  Her  mother  lived  with  her  aged 
parents  out  near  Hartley  Hall,  among  the  high  moun- 
tains ;  it  would  be  a  relief  to  see  those  lofty  peaks  and 
wide  expanse  of  vision  once  more,  after  the  cramped 
outlook  of  the  city.  How  peculiarly  sweet  the  air 
seemed,  with  the  sun  coming  up  behind  the  fringe  of 
old  yellow  pines  and  oaks  along  the  river !  What  re- 
freshing zephyrs  were  wafted  from  those  newly- 
ploughed  fields.  The  bluebirds  and  robins  were  sing- 
ing in  the  maple  trees  about  the  station.  On  a  side- 
track stood  the  little  wood-burner  engine,  with  its 
bulbous  stack,  purring  black  smoke,  readv  to  pull  its 
train  of  tiny  cars  out  to  the  wonderful,  wild  mountain 
country,  the  land  of  Lick  Run  Gap,  the  Lost  Valley, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  245 

the  High  Head,  Big  Buffalo,  Winklebleck  and 
Shreiner ! 

How  well  she  remembered  the  first  time  she  had  seen 
that  wood-burner,  as  a  little  tot,  going  on  a  visit  with 
her  father  and  mother.  It  was  in  the  golden  hour,  and 
deep  purple  shadows  fell  from  the  station  roof  athwart 
the  golden  light  on  the  platform ! 

All  these  thoughts  were  crowding  through  her  head 
until  the  bell  on  the  little  engine  reminded  her  that  the 
L.  &  T.  train  was  soon  to  depart. 

She  reached  home  in  time  for  dinner,  was  received 
with  no  enthusiasm,  for  her  mother  and  grandparents 
were  true  mountaineers,  and  their  swarthy  faces 
masked  their  feelings,  yet  she  was  made  to  feel  per- 
fectly welcome. 

Nobody  had  died,  no  one  was  sick,  the  house  hadn't 
burned  down,  evidently  the  trials  foretold  by  Jake 
Mintges  were  yet  to  come. 

That  afternoon  she  showed  the  broken  violin  to  her 
grandfather,  who  took  it  to  his  workbench  in  an  out- 
house to  repair  it,  undaunted  by  the  seeming  endlessness 
of  the  reconstruction. 

Eugenie  seemed  perfectly  contented  to  be  at  home. 
She  had  had  enough  of  the  bizarre,  and  reveled  again 
in  the  humdrum.  Five  or  six  days  after  her  return 
the  weekly  county  paper  appeared  at  the  house,  with 
its  boiler  plate  front  page  and  patent  insides.  Some 
instinct  mad  her  open  the  wrapper  as  it  lay  on  the 
kitchen  table.    On  the  front  page  she  saw  the  likeness 


246  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

of  a  familiar  face,  the  well-known  full  eyes,  oval 
cheeks,  rounded  chin  and  drooping  mustache,  Derment 
Catesby.  Then  the  headlines  caught  her  eyes,  "Hand- 
some Actor  Shot  to  Death  by  Insanely  Jealous  Hus- 
band at  Stage  Door."  Then  she  glanced  at  the  date  and 
the  hour.  It  was  the  night  that  she  had  taken  the  train 
— the  very  moment,  perhaps,  that  Jacob  Mintges'  grin- 
ning face  had  looked  through  the  curtains  of  her  berth. 
Yes,  the  murderer  had  waited  a  long  time,  as  the  victim 
had  tarried  in  the  green-room. 

Eugenie  sucked  her  full  lips  a  moment,  then  looked 
hard  at  the  picture  and  the  whole  article  again.  Then 
she  turned  to  her  mother  and  grandparents,  who  were 
seated  about  the  stove. 

"Say,  folks,"  she  said,  coldly,,  "there's  the  fine  gent 
I  went  away  with  from  Swinesfordstown.  I  got  out 
in  time,  the  very  night  he  was  murdered." 

The  mother  and  the  old  people  half  rose  in  their 
chairs  to  look  at  the  wood  cut. 

"How  did  you  know  he  was  playing  you  false  ?"  said 
the  old  grandfather. 

"How  did  I  know,  gran'pap?"  she  replied.  "Why, 
the  night  before,  Jake  Mintges  came  to  me,  and  I  knew 
something  was  due  to  go  wrong,  and  home  was  the 
place  for  little  me.  You  see  I  missed  it  all  by  a  stone's 
throw." 

"You're  right,  'Genie',"  said  the  old  mountaineer. 
"Mintges  never  comes  to  us  unless  he  means  business." 


XVIII. 

The  Turning  of  the  Belt 

THERE  are  not  many  memories  of  Ole  Bull  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  ruins  of  his  castle  today.  Fifteen 
years  ago,  before  the  timber  was  all  gone,  there 
were  quite  a  few  old  people  who  were  living  in  the 
Black  Forest  at  the  time  of  his  colonization  venture, 
who  remembered  him  well,  also  a  couple  of  his  original 
colonists,  Andriesen  and  Oleson,  but  these  are  no  more. 
One  has  to  go  to  Renovo  or  to  Austin  or  Germania  to 
find  any  reminiscences  now,  and  those  have  suffered 
through  passing  from  "hand  to  mouth"  and  are  scat- 
tered and  fragmentary.  They  used  to  say  that  the 
great  violinist  was,  like  his  descendants,  a  believer  in 
spiritualism,  and  on  the  first  snowy  night  that  he  occu- 
pied his  unfinished  mansion,  chancing  to  look  out  he 
saw  what  seemed  to  him  a  tall,  white  figure  standing 
by  the  ramparts. 

Fearing  that  it  was  some  skeld  come  to  warn  him  of 
impending  disaster  to  his  beloved  colony,  he  rushed  out 
hatless,  only  to  find  that  it  was  an  old  hemlock  stab, 
snow  encrusted. 

Disaster  did  come,  but  as  far  as  local  tradition  goes 
Ole  Bull  had  no  warning  of  ilt.  The  hemlock  stab 
which  so  disturbed  him  has  been  gone  these  many  years, 
but  a  smaller  one,  when  encased  in  snow,  has  frightened 
many  a  superstitious  wayfarer  along  the  Kettle  Creek 

247 


248  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

road,  and  gone  on  feeling  that  he  had  seen  "the  ghost 
of  Ole  Bull." 

But  unaccountable  and  worthy  of  investigation  are 
the  weird  strains  of  music  heard  on  wild,  stormy  nights, 
which  seem  to  emanate  from  the  castle.  Belated 
hunters  coming  down  the  deep  gorge  of  Ole  Bull  Run, 
back  of  the  castle,  or  travelers  along  the  main  highway 
from  Oleona  to  Cross  Forks,  have  heard  it  and  refused 
to  be  convinced  that  there  is  not  a  musician  hidden 
away  somewhere  among  the  crumbling  ruins.  The 
"oldest  inhabitants,"  sturdy  race  of  trappers,  who  ante- 
dated Ole  Bull's  colonists,  declare  that  the  ghostly  mu- 
sician was  playing  just  the  same  in  the  great  virtuoso's 
time,  and  that  it  is  the  ghost  of  a  French  fifer,  am- 
bushed and  killed  by  Indians  when  his  battalion  was 
marching  along  the  "Boone  Road"  from  Fort  Le  Boeuf 
to  the  memorable  and  ill-starred  attack  on  Fort  Augusta 
at  Sunbury  in  1757. 

At  the  mention  of  "Boone  Road"  another  question  is 
opened,  as  there  is  no  historic  record  of  such  a  military 
highway  between  Lake  Erie  and  the  West  Branch  of 
the  Susquehanna  River.  The  afore-mentioned  very 
old  people  used  to  say  that  the  road  was  still  visible 
to  them  in  certain  places ;  that  there  could  be  no  doubt 
of  its  existence  and  former  utilization. 

Daniel  Boone,  if  he  be  the  pioneer  of  that  name  who 
first  "blazed  it  out,"  was  a  very  young  man  during  the 
"French  and  Indian  War,"  and  his  presence  in  that 
part  of  the  country  is  a  mooted  question.     Perhaps  it 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  249 

was  another  "Boone,"  and  a  Norseman,  for  many 
persons  named  "Bonde"  or  "Boon"  were  among  the 
first  Swedish  settlers  on  the  Lanape-Wihittuck,  or  Del- 
aware River,  unconsciously  pioneering  for  their  famous 
cousin-German,  Ole  Borneman  Bull. 

In  all  events,  the  French  fifer  was  shot  and  grievous- 
ly wounded,  and  his  comrades,  in  the  rout  which  en- 
sued, were  forced  to  leave  him  behind.  After  refresh- 
ing himself  at  the  cold  spring,  which  nearly  a  century 
later  Ole  Bull  named  "Lyso" — the  water  of  light — he 
crawled  up  on  the  hill,  on  which  the  castle  was  after- 
wards partly  erected,  to  reconnoitre  the  country,  but 
dropping  from  exhaustion  and  loss  of  blood,  soon  died. 
The  wolves  carried  away  his  physical  remains,  but  his 
spirit  rested  on  the  high  knoll,  to  startle  Ole  Bull  and 
many  others,  with  the  strains  of  his  weird,  unearthly 
music. 

It  seems  a  pity  that  these  old  legends  are  passing 
with  the  lives  of  the  aged  people,  but  the  coming  of  Ira 
Keeney,  the  grizzled  Civil  War  veteran,  as  caretaker 
for  the  handsome  Armstrong-Quigley  hunting  lodge, 
on  the  site  of  one  of  the  former  proposed  fogderier 
Walhalla,  has  awakened  anew  the  world  of  romance,  of 
dashing  exploits  in  the  war  under  Sheridan  and  Rose- 
crans,  of  lumbering  days,  wolves,  panthers  and  wild 
pigeons,  all  of  which  memories  the  venerable  soldier 
loves  to  recount. 

Yet  can  these  be  compared  with  the  legend  that  Ole 
Bull,  seeing  a  Bald  Eagle  rise  from  its  nest  on  the  top 
of  a  tall  oak  near  the  banks  of  Freeman's  Run,  named 


250  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  village  he  planned  to  locate  there  Odin,  after  the 
supreme  diety  of  the  Scandinavian  mythology,  who 
took  the  form  of  an  eagle  on  one  period  of  his  develop- 
ment. His  other  settlements  or  herods  he  called  Wal- 
halla,  Oleona  and  New  Bergen.  Planned  at  first  by 
the  French  to  be  a  purely  military  route  for  ingress  to 
the  West  Branch  country,  but  owing  to  the  repulse  at 
Fort  Augusta,  very  infrequently  traversed  by  them,  if 
at  all,  it  became  principally  an  overland  "short  cut"  for 
trappers,  traders,  travelers  and  settlers,  all  of  whom 
knew  its  location  well. 

Who  could  have  laid  out  such  an  intricate  road  over 
high  mountains  and  through  deep  valleys,  unless  a  mili- 
tary force,  is  hard  to  imagine,  even  if  for  some  strange 
reason  it  was  never  written  into  "history." 

After  the  Revolutionary  War  there  was  naturally  an 
unsettled  state  of  affairs,  and  many  farmers  and  adven- 
turers turned  their  thought  to  the  country  west  of  the 
Allegheny  Mountains  and  River,  as  the  land  of  oppor- 
tunity, consequently  there  was  much  desultory  travel 
over  the  Boone  Road.  Unemployment  prevailed  every- 
where, and  hordes  of  penniless  ex-soldiers,  turned 
adrift  by  their  victorious  new  nation,  traveled  back- 
wards and  forwards  along  all  the  known  highways  and 
trails,  picking  up  a  day's  work  as  best  they  could,  their 
precarious  mode  of  living  giving  them  the  name  of 
"cider  tramps."  A  few  more  reckless  and  blood  thirsty 
than  their  fellows,  claimed  that  the  country  which  they 
had  freed  owed  them  a  living;  if  there  was  no  work 
and  no  pensions,  and  they  could  not  get  it  by  hook 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  251 

they  would  take  it  by  crook.  In  other  words,  certain 
ex-service  men  became  strong-arm  men,  road  agents, 
or  highwaymen,  whichever  name  seems  most  suitable. 

The  Boone  Road,  in  a  remote  wilderness  of  gloomy, 
untrodden  forests,  made  an  ideal  haunt  for  footpads, 
and  when  not  robbing  travelers,  they  took  their  toll 
from  the  wild  game,  elks,  deer,  bears,  grouse  and  wild 
pigeons  which  infested  the  region.  Law  and  order  had 
not  penetrated  into  such  forgotten  and  forbidding 
realms,  and  obscure  victims  could  report  outrages  and 
protest  to  a  deaf  and  dumb  government.  How  long  it 
was  before  these  robbers  were  curbed  is  hard  to  say. 

One  story  which  the  backwoods  people  about  Ham- 
esley's  Fork  used  to  tell  dates  back  to  five  years  after 
the  close  of  the  Revolution,  about  1788.  Jenkin  Doane, 
possibly  a  member  of  the  same  family  that  produced  the 
Doane  outlaws  in  the  Welsh  Mountains,  was  one  of  the 
notorious  characters  along  the  Boone  Road.  Like  oth- 
ers, he  was  an  ex-soldier,  a  hero  of  Brandywine  and 
Paoli,  but  his  plight  was  worse,  for  just  before  peace 
was  declared,  when  a  premature  rumor  to  that  effect 
had  reached  his  company,  lying  at  Fort  Washington, 
jie  had  assaulted  and  beaten  up  an  aristocratic  and 
brutal  officer  who  was  the  terror  of  the  line.  For  this 
he  had  been  •  sentenced  to  death,  but  later  his  sentence 
was  commuted,  and  finally,  because  there  were  no  sat- 
isfactory jails  for  military  prisoners,  he  was  quietly  re- 
leased, sans  h.  d.  and  the  ability  to  make  a  livelihood. 

He  finally  became  a  wagoner  and  hired  out  with  a 
party  of  emigrants  going  to  Lake  Erie,  who  traveled 


252  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

over  the  Boone  Road.  He  saw  them  safely  to  their 
destination,  but  on  his  return  journey  tarried  in  the 
mountains,  hunting  and  fishing,  until  his  supplies  were 
gone,  when  he  turned  "road  agent."  He  evidently  had 
a  low  grade  of  morals  at  that  time,  for  he  robbed  old 
as  well  as  young,  women  as  readily  as  men.  He  was 
fairly  successful,  considering  the  comparative  lightness 
of  travel  and  the  poor  class  of  victims  financially. 

In  an  up-and-down  country,  where  feed  and  shelter 
were  scarce,  he  kept  no  horse,  but  traveled  afoot.  He 
had  no  opportunity  to  test  his  heels,  as  he  never  ran 
away,  all  his  attacks  being  followed  by  speedy  capitu- 
lation. If  a  trained  force  of  bailiffs  had  been  sent  out 
to  apprehend  him,  doubtless  he  could  have  been  caught, 
as  he  had  his  favorite  retreats,  where  he  lingered, 
waiting  for  his  prey. 

There  were  not  many  such  places  in  the  depths  of 
the  seemingly  endless  forests  of  giant  and  gloomy 
hemlocks  and  pines,  places  where  the  sun  could  shine 
and  the  air  radiated  dryness  and  warmth.  One  of  his 
best-liked  haunts  was  known  as  the  Indian  Garden, 
situated  in  an  open  glade  among  the  mountains  which 
divide  the  country  of  Kettle  Creek  from  that  of  Drury's 
Run. 

"Art."  Vallon,  one  of  the  oldest  hunters  on  Kettle 
Creek,  who  died  recently,  once  described  the  spot  as 
follows :  "More  than  sixty  years  ago  my  father  on  a 
hunting  trip  showed  me  a  clearing  of  perhaps  half  an 
acre,  which  he  told  me  was  called  'The  Indian  Garden.' 
r  visited  it  many  times  afterwards  on  my  trapping  ex- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  253 

cursions.  It  impressed  me  as  very  unusual,  being  en- 
tirely free  from  undergrowth,  except  the  furze  grass 
one  sees  on  poor,  worked-out  land. 

It  was  a  perfect  square  of  about  half  an  acre,  and 
was  surrounded  by  the  deep,  primeval  forest.  Trtere 
was  a  fine  spring  not  very  far  away." 

It  was  there  that  Jenkin  Doane  and  two  other  reckless 
characters  who  had  served  with  Simon  Girty  and  acted 
as  his  henchmen  lolled  for  hours  in  the  sun,  waiting  for 
victims.  It  was  there  that  he  usually  maintained  his 
"camp  fire"  and  at  night  slept  on  the  ground  in  a  sleep- 
ing bag  of  buffalo  hides. 

One  night  in  the  late  winter,  when  there  were  still 
patches  of  snow  on  the  ground,  Doane  dreamed  very 
vividly  of  a  girl  whom  he  had  never  seen.  He  could 
hardly  realize  he  had  been  dreaming  when  he  awoke 
and  sat  up  looking  about  him,  to  where  his  vision  was 
cut  off  by  the  interminable  "aisles  of  the  forest."  He 
seemed  to  be  married  to  her,  at  least  they  were  together, 
and  he  had  the  pleasure  of  saving  her  life  from  drown- 
ing in  a  deep  torrent  where  she  had  gone,  probably  to 
bathe. 

He  had  never  seen  a  person  of  such  unusual  beauty. 
Her  hair  was  dark  and  inclined  to  curl,  complexion 
hectic,  her  eyes  hazel,  but  the  chief  charm  lay  in  the  line 
of  her  nose  and  upper  lip.  The  nose  was  slightly 
turned  up  at  the  end,  adding,  with  the  curve  of  her 
upper  lip,  a  piquancy  to  an  expression  of  exceptional 
loveliness. 

All  the  day  he  kept  wishing  that  this  charming  young 


254  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

woman  might  materialize  into  his  life;  he  could  not 
bring  himself  to  believe  but  that  such  a  realistic  vision 
must  have  a  living  counterpart. 

It  was  during  the  morning  of  the  second  day,  when 
he  had  about  given  up  hope,  that  he  saw  coming  to- 
wards him,  down  a  steep  pitch  in  the  Boone  Road — it 
is  part  of  the  Standard  Oil  Pipe  Line  now — a  young 
woman  on  horseback,  wearing  a  red  velvet  hat  and  a 
brown  cloak.  She  was  mounted  on  a  flea-bitten  white 
horse  of  uncertain  age  and  gait.  Close  behind  her  rode 
two  elderly  Indians,  also  indifferently  mounted,  who 
seemed  to  be  her  bodyguard,  and  between  them  they 
were  leading  a  heavily-laden  pack-horse. 

He  quickly  turned  his  belt,  an  Indian  signal  of 
great  antiquity,  which  indicated  to  his  companions  that 
they  would  make  an  attack. 

Just  as  the  white  horse  touched  fairly  level  ground 
he  commenced  to  stumble  and  run  sideways,  having 
stepped  on  a  rusty  caltrop  or  "crow's  foot"  which  the 
outlaws  had  strewn  across  the  trail  at  that  point  for 
that  very  purpose.  Seeing  the  animal's  plight,  the 
young  equestrienne  quickly  stopped  him  and  dis- 
mounted. She  had  been  riding  astride,  and  Doane 
noticed  the  brown  woolen  stockings  which  covered  her 
shapely  legs,  her  ankle-boots  of  good  make,  as  she 
rolled  off  the  horse's  back. 

As  she  stood  before  her  quivering  steed,  patting  his 
shoulder,  Doane  and  his  companions  drew  near,  cover- 
ing the  three  with  their  army  muskets.  It  was  then  to 
his  infinite  surprise  he  noticed  that  the  girl  in  brown, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  255 

with  the  red  hat,  was  the  heroine  of  his  dream,  though 
in  the  vision  she  had  been  attired  in  black,  but  the 
gown  was  half  off  her  shoulders  and  back  when  he 
drew  her  out  of  the  water. 

It  would  have  been  hard  to  tell  who  was  most  sur- 
prised, Doane  or  the  girl.  Much  as  he  admired  her 
loveliness,  there  had  been  the  turning  of  the  belt,  which 
meant  there  could  be  no  change  of  purpose;  his  com- 
rades were  already  eyeing  the  well-filled  packsaddles. 

The  frightened  Indians  had  dismounted,  being 
watched  by  one  of  the  outlaws,  while  Doane  politely 
yet  firmly  demanded  the  whereabouts  of  her  money. 
Lifting  her  cloak  and  turning  her  belt,  she  disclosed 
two  long  deerskin  pouches,  heavy  with  gold.  Un- 
buckling them,  she  handed  them  to  Doane,  while  tears 
began  to  stream  down  her  cheeks. 

"You  may  take  it,  sir,"  she  sobbed,  "but  you  are 
ruining  my  chances  in  life.  I  am  partly  Indian,  Brant's 
daughter,  grand-daughter  of  the  old  Brant,  and  my 
father  had  arranged  a  marriage  for  me  with  a  young 
officer  whom  I  met  during  the  war,  and  I  love  him 
dearly.  Though  I  told  him  of  my  love,  he  would  not 
marry  me  without  a  dowry  of  $3,000,  and  it  took  my 
father  five  long  years  to  gather  it  together.  I  would 
not  care  if  I  did  not  love  him  so  much.  I  was  on  my 
way  to  his  home  at  the  forks  of  Susquehanna,  and  now 
you  have  destroyed  all  my  hopes." 

The  brigand's  steely  heart  was  for  a  moment 
touched.  "Brant's  daughter,"  he  said,  "you  Indian 
people  know  the  turning  of  the  belt,  which  means  that 


256  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

what  is  decided  on  at  that  moment  must  he  carried  out ; 
before  I  saw  who  you  were  I  resolved  to  rob  you.  It 
must  be  done,  for  I  have  two  partners  who  will  demand 
their  shares." 

"You  said  'before  you  knew  who  I  was,'  "  broke  in 
the  girl,  her  tearful,  piquaint  face  filled  with  curiosity. 
"You  never  saw  me  before." 

"Oh,  yes,  I  did,"  replied  Doane,  "in  a  dream  a  couple 
of  nights  ago." 

"Then  let  me  go  my  way  if  I  have  been  introduced 
to  the  spiritual  side  of  your  nature,"  she  said,  as  a  final 
appeal. 

"I  am  afraid  not,"  he  answered,  as  his  comrades 
started  to  open  one  of  the  pouches.  Then  he  paused, 
saying:  "I  will  not  take  all.  I'd  not  take  anything  from 
you  except  that  I  have  these  partners.  I  will  retain 
half  for  them,  and  let  you  go  your  way  with  the  rest. 
Your  good  looks — for  you  are  truly  the  prettiest  thing 
I  ever  laid  eyes  on — will  outweigh  with  your  lover  a 
paltry  fifteen  hundred  dollars  in  gold." 

"You  do  not  know  him ;  it  never  will,"  cried  the  girl, 
weeping  afresh.  "He  does  not  love  me ;  he  only  wants 
the  gold.  I  am  the  one  that  loves,  and  am  lost  and  dis- 
carded without  the  dowry." 

Meanwhile  one  of  the  outlaws  had  drawn  the  caltrop 
from  the  horse's  frog,  and  having  smeared  it  with 
bear's  grease,  the  animal  was  walking  about  in  a  fairly 
comfortable  manner. 

The  girl  stood  looking  at  Doane.  He  was  young, 
strong,  and  had  a  fairly  decent  face.     How  could  he 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  257 

be  so  cruel?  Then  she  looked  at  his  partners,  low- 
browed wretches,  who  were  already  muttering  at  the 
delay,  and  she  realized  there  was  no  hope.  Doane  gave 
up  his  share,  and  tossed  the  other  of  the  bags  of  gold 
to  his  "pals,"  then  ordered  the  girl  and  her  escort  to 
proceed.  He  saTd  that  he  would  accompany  her  to  the 
river,  to  where  the  danger  of  meeting  other  highway- 
men would  be  passed.  The  girl  traveled  on  foot  the 
entire  distance,  to  ease  her  horse  over  the  rough,  uneven 
trail,  walking  side  by  side  with  the  highwayman. 

They  parted  with  civility,  and  on  Doane's  side  with 
deep  regret,  for  the  dream  had  inflamed  his  soul,  and 
the  reality  was  so  startlingly  lovely  that  he  was  deeply 
smitten.  Before  he  had  reached  the  river  he  wished 
that  he  had  shot  his  grasping  companions,  rather  than 
endanger  this  beautiful  creature's  future  happiness. 

"That  was  an  unlucky  turning  of  the  belt,"  he  said  to 
himself,  as  he  retraced  his  steps  towards  the  Indian 
Garden. 

Brant's  daughter  rode  with  a  heavy  heart  the  balance 
of  the  journey,  for  she  knew  her  lover's  nature.  The 
Indian  bodyguards  were  equally  downcast,  for  they  had 
sworn  to  deilver  her  safe  and  sound  at  the  forks  of  the 
Susquehanna. 

When  she  reached  the  handsome  colonial  gray  stone 
house,  on  a  headland  overlooking  the  "meeting  of  the 
waters,"  her  lover,  a  handsome  upstanding  youth,  with 
a  sports  suit  made  of  his  old  officer's  buff  uniform,  and 
surrounded  by  a  pack  of  his  hunting  dogs,  came  out  to 
greet  her.     His  manner  was  not  very  cordial.     With 


258  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

penetrating  eyes  he  saw  that  she  was  disturbed  over 
something,  so  he  quickly  asked  if  she  suffered  from 
fatigue  after  the  long  overland  journey. 

"No,  Major,"  she  replied,  "I  am  not  at  all  tired  in 
body,  but  I  am  in  heart.  I  cannot  postpone  the  evil 
moment.  On  the  Boone  Road  we  were  stopped  by  three 
highwaymen,  armed,  who  took  from  me  half  of  my 
dowry." 

The  Major's  handsome  countenance  darkened.  "Why 
did  you  not  tell  them  you  needed  it  to  get  married?"  he 
blurted  out  angrily.  "A  pretty  wench  like  you  could 
have  honey-foogled  them  to  keep  it." 

"I  did  tell  them,"  replied  the  girl,  confidently,  "and 
for  that  reason  the  chief  of  the  band,  a  very  pretty  man, 
let  me  keep  the  one-half,  but  he  had  to  retain  the  rest 
for  his  companions." 

"What  was  the  matter  with  your  dullard  bodyguards, 
standing  about  like  lunkheads?  Why  didn't  they 
shoot?" 

"I  think  I  came  off  well,"  she  said,  hanging  her  pretty 
head,  her  cheeks  all  crimson  flush.  She  was  sitting  on 
the  horse,  her  feet  dangling  out  of  the  stirrups,  her 
skirts  turned  up  revealing  those  shapely  legs,  and  he 
had  not  asked  her  to  dismount. 

The  Major  drew  nearer,  with  an  angry  gesture.  "I 
have  a  mind  to  smack  your  face  good  and  hard  for  your 
folly,"  he  stormed.  "What  do  you  think  I  have  been 
waiting  for,  a  paltry  fifteen  hundred  dollars?" 

Brant's  daughter  turned  her  belt  and  handed  him  the 
pouch  of  gold,  which  he  threw  down  testily.     It  was 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  259 

quickly  picked  up  by  one  of  his  German  redemptioner 
servants,  who  carried  it  into  the  house. 

"Aren't  you  going  to  ask  me  to  come  in?"  pleaded 
the  now  humiliated  love-sick  girl.  "You  can  slap  me 
all  you  want.  Punish  me  any  way  you  will,"  offering 
him  her  stiff  riding  crop,  "only  don't  cast  me  off" 

"Come  down  if  you  wish ;  I  don't  care,"  he  mumbled 
in  reply.  "I  wouldn't  exert  myself  enough  to  whip  you, 
but  your  hide  ought  to  be  tanned  for  your  stupidity." 

Cut  to  the  heart,  yet  still  loving  abjectly,  she  slid  off 
the  horse  and  meekly  followed  the  imperious  Major 
into  the  mansion.  During  the  balance  of  the  afternoon, 
and  at  supper,  and  until  she  begged  to  be  allowed  to 
retire,  she  was  reviled  and  humbled  in  the  presence  of 
his  redemptioners.  He  declared  that  no  one  man  in  a 
thousand,  in  his  station  of  life,  would  consider  marriage 
with  a  person  of  Indian  blood ;  that  it  was  worth  twice 
three  thousand  dollars,  the  figure  he  had  originally 
named.  Nevertheless,  he  had  carefully  put  the  money 
bag  in  his  strong  box,  even  though  saying  nothing 
about  setting  a  date  for  a  marriage. 

She  was  shown  into  an  unfinished  room.  There  was 
no  bed,  only  a  few  chairs,  and  two  big  walnut  chests. 
Tearful  and  nervously  unstrung,  she  took  off  her  shoes 
and,  wrapping  herself  in  her  cloak,  lay  down  on  the 
cold  wooden  floor.  She  could  have  called  for  blankets, 
and  doubtless  gotten  them,  but  her  pride  had  rebelled 
and  she  resolved  to  make  the  best  of  conditions.  She 
could  not  sleep,  and  her  mind  was  tortured  with  her 
love  for  the  Major,  anger  at  his  ungrateful  conduct, 


260  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

and  an  ever-recurring  vision  of  the  highwayman  on 
the  Boone  Road.  She  heard  the  great  Irish  clock  in 
the  hall  below  strike  every  hour  until  one. 

Suddenly  she  got  up,  her  face  brightened  with  a  new 
resolve.  Tying  her  shoes  together,  she  threw  them 
them  across  her  shoulder  and  tiptoed  to  the  door,  which 
she  opened  softly,  and  went  downstairs.  Her  Indian 
bodyguards  were  sleeping  on  the  stone  floor  in  the 
vestibule,  wrapped  in  their  blankets. 

"Exundos,"  she  whispered  in  the  ear  of  the  oldest, 
"get  me  out  of  this ;  I  am  going  to  go  away." 

The  trusty  redskin,  who  always  slept  with  one  eye 
open,  nudged  his  comrade,  Firequill,  and  made  their 
way  to  the  door.  It  was  locked  and  chained,  and  the 
key  probably  under  the  Major's  pillow. 

Exundos  was  determined  to  redeem  his  record.  He 
rushed  upstairs  to  where  a  portly  German  was  sleeping 
in  the  officer's  antechamber.  He  knocked  the  valet 
senseless  with  the  butt  of  his  horse  pistol.  Then  he 
sprang  like  a  panther  over  the  prostrate  body  into  the 
Major's  apartment.  In  a  moment  he  had  gagged  him 
with  the  caltrop  extracted  from  the  horse's  foot,  then 
bound  him  hand  and  foot. 

The  key  was  under  the  pillow.  In  five  minutes  the 
fugitives  were  on  the  front  lawn,  surrounded  by  the 
Major's  pack  of  yelping,  snarling  hounds.  Getting  by 
them  as  best  they  could,  the  trio  made  for  the  bluffs, 
found  a  dugout  in  which  they  crossed  the  river,  and 
were  soon  in  the  shelter  of  the  friendly  mountains. 

In  the  morning  the  Major's  other  servants  who  slept 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  261 

in  quarters  near  the  stables,  found  the  half-dazed  body- 
guard with  a  bloody  head,  and  their  gagged  and  help- 
less master.  Once  released,  the  Major  decided  not  to 
send  a  posse  after  the  runaways ;  he  was  heavily  in 
debt,  and  needed  that  pouch  of  fifteen  hundred  dollars 
in  gold. 

Brant's  daughter,  after  her  fortuitous  escape,  was 
not  completely  happy.  She  had  longed  for  the  Major 
for  five  years,  and  had  almost  gotten  him  as  the  result 
of  severe  privations.  It  was  pretty  hard  to  lose  him 
now.  She  was  going  home  defeated,  to  die  unwed. 
Her  feelings  became  desperate  when  she  reached  the 
Boone  Road,  with  all  its  haunting  memories. 

As  she  clambered  up  the  steep  grades,  and  the  Indian 
Garden  came  into  view,  she  reached  down  and  turned 
her  belt,  the  symbol  of  resolution.  No  one  was  about 
as  she  passed  the  garden,  which  made  her  heart  sink 
with  loneliness  for  some  strong  man's  love. 

When  Kettle  Creek  was  reached  and  crossed  near 
the  Cold  Spring,  she  decided  to  rest  awhile.  After  a 
meal,  which  she  barely  tasted,  she  told  the  Indians  that 
she  was  going  for  a  little  walk  in  the  woods. 

"I  am  safe  now,"  she  said,  bitterly ;  "I  have  no  gold." 

Past  the  Cold  Spring  she  went,  on  and  on  up  the 
wild,  narrow  gorge  of  what  is  now  called  Ole  Bull  Run, 
where  a  dark  and  dismal  hemlock  forest  of  colossal  pro- 
portions bent  over  the  torrent,  keeping  out  the  light  of 
day. 

While  she  was  absent,  who  should  appear  at  the 
Cold  Spring  but  Doane,  with  his  colleagues  in  crime. 


262  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"So  he  took  her  after  all,  with  only  half  the  money," 
he  said,  almost  regretfully,  to  the  Indians. 

"I  don't  know,"  replied  one  of  the  bodyguard.  "He 
was  very  ugly  when  he  heard  it,  wanted  to  slap  her, 
and  she  ran  away  in  the  night,  leaving  horses,  saddle- 
bags and  gold.  Oh,  she  felt  terribly,  for  she  truly  loved 
the  monster." 

"Where  is  she  now  ?"  said  Doane,  in  surprised  tones. 

The  Indian  pointed  up  the  dark  gorge  of  the  run. 
That  moment  the  outlaw  thought  of  his  dream,  of  his 
rescuing  her  from  an  angry  torrent.  Motioning  to  her 
guards  to  follow,  he  made  haste  along  the  edges  of  the 
stream,  slipping  often  on  the  moss-grown  rocks.  Half 
way  to  the  top  of  the  gigantic  mountain,  he  heard  the 
roar  of  a  cascade.  There  was  a  great,  dark,  seething 
pool  beneath.  Just  as  Doane  came  in  sight  of  this  he 
beheld,  to  his  horror,  Brant's  daughter,  hatless  and 
cloakless,  plunging  in.  It  was  like  a  Dryad's  immola- 
tion! 

With  superhuman  effort  he  reached  the  brink  and 
sprang  after  her.  He  caught  her,  as  she  rose  the  first 
time,  by  her  profuse  brown  hair,  but  as  he  lifted  her 
ashore  a  snag  or  branch  tore  her  shirtwaist,  so  that  her 
shoulder  and  back  were  almost  completely  bare,  just 
as  in  the  dream.  Aided  by  the  faithful  Indians,  he  laid 
her  tenderly  among  the  moss  and  ferns,  and  poured 
some  rum  from  a  buffalo  horn  flask  down  her  throat. 
She  revived  and  opened  her  pretty  hazel  eyes  quizzi- 
cally. 

"Am  I  at  the  Indian  Garden?"  she  said. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  263 

"You  are  with  the  one  who  turned  his  belt  there," 
answered  Doane ;  "only  this  time  I  don't  want  anything 
for  my  comrades.     I  only  want  you  for  myself." 

"That  is  why  I  came  back — to  give  myself  to  you," 
said  Brant's  daughter,  having  now  fully  recovered  the 
power  of  speech.  "When  I  came  back  to  the  Garden 
and  you  were  not  there,  I  turned  my  belt." 

"It  is  well  that  you  did,"  said  Doane,  "for  that  last 
resolve  has  brought  us  together.  I  should  have  known 
from  the  beginning  my  destiny  was  revealed  in  that 
dream." 

"Will  you  come  with  me,  then,  to  Tonawanda?"  said 
the  girl. 

"Of  course  I  will,  anywhere  with  you,  and  never 
follow  the  road  again,  or  anything  not  strictly  honora- 
ble. Wrongdoing,  I  see  now,  is  caused  by  the  prepon- 
derance of  the  events  of  life  going  against  us.  Where 
things  come  our  way.  and  there  is  joy,  one  can  never 
aspire  to  ill.  Wrong  is  the  continued  disappointment. 
I  could  never  molest  a  soul  after  I  saw  you,  and  have 
lived  by  hunting  ever  since.  I  made  my  partners  return 
the  purse  of  gold ;  it  shall  go  to  your  father  to  buy  a 
farm." 

Brant's  daughter  now  motioned  to  him  that  she  felt 
like  sitting  up,  and  he  propped  her  back  against  an  old 
cork  pine,  kissing  her  pretty  plump  cheeks  and  shoul- 
ders many  times  as  he  did  so.     "And  that  scoundrel 


264 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


would  have  smacked  you,"  he  thought,  boiling  inwardly. 
Then  taking  her  cold  hands  in  his,  he  said : 

"Out  of  evil  comes  good.  I  do  not  regret  this  one 
robbery,  for  if  I  had  not  taken  that  gold  for  my  com- 
rades, some  one  would  have  robbed  me  of  you !" 


**-  SMAWANA 


XIX. 

Riding  His  Pony 

WHEN  Rev.  James  Martin  visited  the  celebrated 
Perm's  Cave,  in  the  Spring  of  1795,  it  was  re- 
lated that  he  found  a  small  group  of  Indians 
encamped  there.  That  evening,  around  the  campfire, 
one  of  the  redskins  related  a  legend  of  one  of  the  curi- 
osities of  the  watery  cave,  the  flambuoyant  "Indian 
Riding  Pony"  mural-piece  which  decorates  one  of  the 
walls. 

Spirited  as  a  Remington,  it  bursts  upon  the  view, 
creates  a  lasting  impression,  then  vanishes  as  the  power 
skiff,  the  "Nita-nee,"  draws  nearer. 

According  to  the  old  Indians,  there  lived  not  far 
from  where  the  Karoondinha  emerges  from  the  cavern 
a  body  of  aborigines  of  the  Susquehannock  tribe  who 
made  this  delightful  lowland  their  permanent  abode. 
While  most  of  their  cabins  were  huddled  near  together 
on  the  upper  reaches  of  the  stream,  there  were  strag- 
gling huts  clear  to  the  Beaver  Dams.  The  finding  of 
arrow  points,  beads  and  pottery  along  the  creek  amply 
attests  to  this. 

Among  the  clan  was  a  maiden  named  Quetajaku,  not 
good  to  look  upon,  but  in  no  way  ugly  or  deformed. 
In  her  youth  she  was  light-hearted  and  sociable,  with  a 
gentle  disposition.  Yet  for  some  reason  she  was  not 
favored  by  the  young  bucks.  All  her  contemporaries 
found  lovers  and  husbands,  but  poor  Quetajaku  was 

265 


266  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

left  severely  alone.  She  knew  that  she  was  not  beauti- 
ful, though  she  was  of  good  size;  she  was  equally  cer- 
tain that  she  was  not  a  physical  monster.  She  could 
not  understand  why  she  could  find  no  lover,  why  she 
was  singled  out  to  be  a  "chauchschisis,"  or  old  maid. 
It  hurt  her  pride  as  a  young  girl,  it  broke  her  heart 
completely  when  she  was  older. 

Gradually  she  withdrew  from  the  society  of  her 
tribal  friends,  building  herself  a  lodge-house  on  the 
hill,  in  what  is  now  the  cave  orchard.  There  she  led  a 
very  introspective  life,  grieving  over  the  love  that  might 
have  been.  To  console  herself  she  imagined  that  some 
day  a  handsome  warrior  would  appear,  seek  her  out, 
load  her  with  gifts,  overwhelm  her  with  love  and  carry 
her  away  to  some  distant  region  in  triumph.  He 
would  be  handsomer  and  braver  than  any  youth  in  the 
whole  country  of  the  Karoondinha.  She  would  be  the 
most  envied  of  women  when  he  came. 

This  poor  little  fancy  saved  her  from  going  stark 
mad ;  it  remedied  the  horror  of  her  lonely  lot.  Every 
time  the  night  wind  stirred  the  rude  hempen  curtain 
which  hung  before  the  door  of  her  cabin,  she  would 
picture  it  was  the  chivalrous  stranger  knight  come  to 
claim  her.  When  it  was  cold  she  drew  the  folds  of  her 
buffalo  robe  tighter  about  her  as  if  it  was  his  arms. 

As  time  went  on  she  grew  happy  in  her  secret  lover, 
whom  no  other  woman's  flame  could  equal,  whom  no 
one  could  steal  away.  She  was  ever  imagining  him 
saying  to  her  that  her  looks  exactly  suited  him,  that 
she  was  his  ideal. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  267 

But  like  the  seeker  after  Eldorado,  years  passed, 
and  Quetajaku  did  not  come  nearer  to  her  spirit  lover. 
But  her  soul  kept  up  the  conceit;  every  night  when  she 
curled  herself  up  to  sleep  he  was  the  vastness  of  the 
night. 

On  one  occasion  an  Indian  artist  named  Naganit,  an 
undersized  old  wanderer  appeared  at  the  lonely 
woman's  home.  For  a  living  he  decorated  pottery, 
shells  and  bones,  sometimes  even  painted  war  pictures 
on  rocks.  Quetajaku  was  so  kind  to  him  that  he  built 
himself  a  lean-to  on  the  slope  of  the  hill,  intending  to 
spend  the  winter. 

On  the  long  winter  evenings  the  old  woman  con- 
fided to  the  wanderer  the  story  of  her  unhappy  life, 
of  her  inward  consolation.  She  said  that  she  had  longed 
to  meet  an  artist  who  could  carry  out  a  certain  part  of 
her  dream  which  had  a  right  to  come  true. 

When  she  died  she  had  arranged  to  be  buried  in  a 
fissure  of  rocks  which  ran  horizontally  into  one  of  the 
walls  of  the  "watery"  cave.  On  the  opposite  wall  she 
would  like  painted  in  the  most  brilliant  colors  a  por- 
trait of  a  handsome  young  warrior,  with  arms  out- 
stretched, coming  towards  her. 

Naganit  said  that  he  understood  what  she  meant 
exactly,  but  suggested  that  the  youth  be  mounted  on  a 
pony,  a  beast  which  was  coming  into  use  as  a  mount 
for  warriors,  of  which  he  had  lately  seen  a  number  in 
his  travels  on  the  Virginia  coast,  near   Chincoteague. 

This  idea  was  pleasing  to  Quetajaku,  who  author- 
ized the  stranger  to  begin  work  at  once.    She  had  saved 


268  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

up  a  little  property  of  various  kinds;  she  promised  to 
bestow  all  of  this  on  Naganit,  except  what  would  be 
necessary  to  bury  her,  if  the  picture  proved  satis- 
factory. 

The  artist  rigged  up  a  dog-raft  with  a  scaffold  on 
it,  and  this  he  poled  into  the  place  where  the  fissure 
was  located,  the  woman  accompanying  him  the  first 
time,  so  there  would  be  no  mistake.  All  winter  long 
by  torchlight,  he  labored  away.  He  used  only  one 
color,  an  intensive  brick-red  made  from  mixing  sumac 
berries,  the  pollen  of  the  Turk's  Cap  Lily,  a  small  root 
and  the  bark  of  a  tree,  as  being  more  permanent  than 
that  made  from  ochers  and  other  ores  of  stained  earth. 

Marvelous  and  vital  was  the  result  of  this  early  im- 
pressionist; the  painting  had  all  the  action  of  life.  The 
superb  youth  in  war  dress,  with  arms  outstretched,  on 
the  agile  war  pony,  rushing  towards  the  foreground, 
almost  in  the  act  of  leaping  from  the  rocky  panel  into 
life,  across  the  waters  of  the  cave  to  the  arms  of  his 
beloved. 

It  would  make  old  Quetajaku  happy  to  see  it,  she 
who  had  never  known  love  or  beauty.  The  youth  in 
the  mural  typified  what  Naganit  would  have  been  him- 
self were  he  the  chosen,  and  what  the  "bachelor  maid" 
would  have  possessed  had  nature  favored  her.  It 
was  the  ideal  for  two  disappointed  souls. 

Breathlessly  the  old  artist  ferried  Quetajaku  to  the 
scene  of  his  endeavors.  When  they  reached  the 
proper  spot  he  held  aloft  his  quavering  torch.  Que- 
tajaku, in  order  to  see  more  clearly,  held  her  two  hands 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  269 

above  her  eyes.  She  gave  a  little  cry  of  exclamation, 
then  turned  and  looked  at  Naganit  intently.  Then  she 
dropped  her  eyes,  beginning  to  cry  to  herself,  a  rare 
thing  for  an  Indian  to  do ! 

The  artist  looked  at  her  fine  face,  down  which  the 
tears  were  streaming,  and  asked  her  the  cause  of  her 
grief — was  the  picture  such  a  terrible  disappointment? 

The  woman  drew  herself  together,  replying  that  it 
was  grander  than  she  had  anticipated,  but  the  face  of 
Niganit's,  and,  strangely  enough,  the  face  she  had 
dreamed  of  all  her  life. 

"But  I  am  not  the  heroic  youth  you  pictured",  said 
the  artist,  sadly.  "I  am  sixty  years  old,  stoop-shoul- 
dered, and  one  leg  is  shorter  than  the  other." 

"But  that  is  how  you  would  look  on  your  war  pony; 
it  is  your  face,  shoulders  and  arms.  You  are  the  pic- 
ture that  I  always  hoped  would  come  true." 

Niganit  looked  at  the  Indian  woman.  She  was  not 
hideous;  there  was  even  a  dignity  to  her  large,  plain 
features,  her  great,  gaunt  form. 

"I  have  never  received  such  praise  as  yours.  I 
always  vowed  I  would  love  the  woman  who  really  un- 
derstood me  and  my  art.  I  am  yours.  Let  us  think 
no  more  of  funeral  decorations,  but  go. to  the  east, 
to  the  land  of  war  ponies,  and  ride  to  endless  joy 
together." 


270 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


Quetajaku,  overcome  by  the  majesty  of  his  words, 
leaned  against  his  massive  shoulder.  In  that  way  he 
poled  his  dog-raft  against  the  current  to  the  entrance 
of  the  cave.  There  was  a  glory  in  the  reflection  from 
the  setting  sun  over  against  the  east;  night, would  not 
close  in  for  an  hour  or  two.  And  towards  the  dark- 
ening east  that  night  two  happy  travelers  could  be 
seen  wending  their  way. 


0  ■-.-  0    :  Q  :;•  0  O  Q:;R  Q  Q  ■: :  .■  a  '. :  O ,  -.  B .    CO      CO 


XX. 

The  Little  Postmistress 

IT  WAS  long  past  dark  when  Mifflin  Sargeant,  of 
the  Snow  Shoe  Land  Company,  came  within  sight 
of  the  welcoming  lights  of  Stover's.  For  fourteen 
miles,  through  the  foothills  on  the  Narrows,  he  had  not 
seen  a  sign  of  human  habitation,  except  one  deserted 
hunter's  cabin  at  Yankee  Gap.  There  was  an  air  of 
cheerfulness  and  life  about  the  building  he  had  arrived 
at.  Several  doors  opened  simultaneously  at  the  signal 
of  his  approach,  given  by  a  faithful  watchdog,  throw- 
ing the  rich  glow  of  the  fat-lamps  and  tallow  candles 
across  the  road. 

The  structure,  which  was  very  long  and  two  stories 
high,  housed  under  its  accommodating  roofs  a  tavern, 
a  boarding  house,  a  farmstead,  a  lumber  camp,  a  general 
store,  and  a  post  office.  It  was  the  last  outpost  of 
civilization  in  the  east  end  of  Brush  Valley ;  beyond 
were  mountains  and  wilderness  almost  to  Youngmans- 
town.  Tom  Tunis  had  not  yet  erected  the  substantial 
structure  on  the  verge  of  the  forest  later  known  as 
"The  Forest  House." 

A  dark-complexioned  lad,  who  later  proved  to  be 
Reuben  Stover,  the  son  of  the  landlord,  took  the  horse 
by  the  bridle,  assisting  the  young  stranger  to  dismount. 
He  also  helped  him  to  unstrap  his  saddle-bags,  carrying 
them  into  the  house.     Sargeant  noticed,  as  he  passed 

271 


272  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

across  the  porch,  that  the  walls  were  closely  hung  with 
stags'  horns,  which  showed  the  prevalence  of  these 
noble  animals  in  the  neighborhood. 

Old  Daddy  and  Mammy  Stover,  who  ran  the  quaint 
caravansery,  quickly  made  the  visitor  feel  at  home.  It 
was  after  the  regular  supper-time,  but  a  fresh  repast 
of  bear's  meat  and  corn  bread  was  cheerfully  prepared 
in  the  huge  stone  chimney. 

The  young  man  explained  to  his  hosts  that  he  had 
ridden  that  day  from  New  Berlin ;  he  had  come  from 
Philadelphia  to  Harrisburg  by  train,  to  Liverpool  by 
packet  boat,  at  which  last  named  place  his  horse  had 
been  sent  on  to  meet  him.  He  added  that  he  was  on  his 
way  into  the  Alleghenies,  where  he  had  recently  pur- 
chased an  interest  in  the  Snow  Shoe  development. 

After  supper  he  strolled  along  the  porch  to  the  far 
end,  to  the  post  office,  thinking  he  would  send  a  letter 
home.  A  mail  had  been  brought  in  from  Rebersburg 
during  the  afternoon,  consequently  the  post  office,  and 
not  the  tavern  stand,  was  the  attraction  of  the  crowd 
this  night. 

The  narrow  room  was  poorly  lighted  by  fat-lamps, 
which  cast  great,  fitful  shadows,  making  grotesques 
out  of  the  oddly-costumed,  bearded  wolf  hunters  pres- 
ent, who  were  the  principal  inhabitants  of  the  surround- 
ing ridges.  A  few  women,  hooded  and  shawled,  were 
noticeable  in  the  throng.  In  a  far  corner,  leaning 
against  the  water  bench,  was  young  Reuben,  the  host- 
ler, tuning  up  his  wheezy  fiddle.  As  many  persons  as 
possible  hung  over  the  rude  counter,  across  which  the 


SETH   NELSON,  JR.,  AFTER   A   GOOD    DAY'S    SPORT 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  273 

mail  was  being  delivered,  and  where  many  letters  were 
written  in  reply.  Above  this  counter  were  suspended 
three  fat-lamps,  attached  to  grooved  poles,  which,  by 
cleverly-devised  pulleys,  could  be  lifted  to  any  height 
desired. 

The  young  Philadelphian  edged  his  way  through  the 
good-humored  concourse  to  ask  permission  to  use  the 
ink ;  he  had  brought  his  favorite  quill  pen  and  the  paper 
with  him.  This  brought  him  face  to  face,  across  the 
counter,  with  the  postmistress.  He  had  not  been  able 
to  see  her  before,  as  her  trim  little  figure  had  been 
wholly  obscured  by  the  ponderous  forms  that  lined  the 
counter. 

Instantly  he  was  charmed  by  her  appearance — it  was 
unusual — by  her  look  of  neatness  and  alertness.  Their 
eyes  met — it  was  almost  with  a  smile  of  mutual  recog- 
nition. When  he  asked  her  if  he  could  borrow  the  ink, 
which  was  kept  in  a  large  earthen  pot  of  famous  Sugar 
Valley  make,  she  smiled  on  him  again,  and  he  absorbed 
the  charm  of  her  personality  anew. 

Though  she  was  below  the  middle  height,  her  figure 
was  so  lithe  and  erect  that  it  fully  compensated  for  the 
lack  of  inches.  She  wore  a  blue  homespun  dress,  with 
a  neat  checked  apron  over  it,  the  material  for  which 
constituted  a  luxury,  and  must  have  come  all  the  way 
from  Youngmanstown  or  Sunbury.  Her  profuse 
masses  of  soft,  wavy,  light  brown  hair,  on  which  the 
hanging  lamps  above  brought  out  a  glint  of  gold,  was 
worn  low  on  her  head.  Her  deepset  eyes  were  a  trans- 
parent blue,  her  features  well  developed,  and  when  she 


274  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

turned  her  face  in  profile,  the  high  arch  of  the  nose 
showed  at  once  mental  stability  and  energy.  Her  com- 
plexion was  pink  and  white.  There  seemed  to  be  always 
that  kindly  smile  playing  about  the  eyes  and  lips. 

When  she  pushed  the  heavy  inkwell  towards  him  he 
noticed  that  her  hands  were  very  white,  the  fingers 
tapering;  they  were  the  hands  of  innate  refinement. 

Almost  imperceptibly  the  young  man  found  himself 
in  conversation  with  the  little  postmistress.  Doubtless 
she  was  interested  to  meet  an  attractive  stranger,  one 
from  such  a  distant  city  as  Philadelphia.  While  they 
talked,  the  letter  was  gradually  written,  sealed,  weighed 
and  paid  for — it  was  before  the  days  of  postage  stamps, 
and  the  postmistress  politely  waited  on  her  customers. 

He  had  told  her  his  name — Mifflin  Sargeant — and  she 
had  given  him  hers — Caroline  Hager — and  that  she  was 
eighteen  years  of  age.  He  had  told  her  about  his  pros- 
pective trip  into  the  wilds  of  Centre  County,  of  the 
fierce  beasts  which  he  had  heard  still  abounded  there. 
The  girl  informed  him  that  he  would  not  have  to  go 
farther  west  to  meet  wild  animals ;  that  wolf  hides  by 
the  dozen  were  brought  to  Stover's  each  winter,  where 
they  were  traded  in;  that  old  Stover,  a  justice  of  the 
peace,  attested  to  the  bounty  warrants — in  fact,  the 
wolves  howled  from  the  hill  across  the  road  on  cold 
nights  when  the  dogs  were  particularly  restless. 

Her  father  was  a  wolf  hunter,  and  would  never  allow 
her  to  go  home  alone ;  consequently,  when  he  could  not 
accompany  her  she  remained  over  night  in  the  dwelling 
which  housed  the  post  office.    Panthers,  too,  were  occa- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  275 

sionally  met  with  in  the  locality — in  the  original  surveys 
this  region  was  referred  to  as  "Catland" — also  huge  red 
bears  and  the  somewhat  smaller  black  ones. 

If  he  was  going  west,  she  continued  in  her  pretty 
way,  he  must  not  fail  to  visit  the  great  limestone  cave 
near  where  the  Brush  Mountains  ended.  She  had  a 
sister  married  and  living  not  far  from  it,  from  whom 
she  had  heard  wonderful  tales,  though  she  had  never 
been  there  herself.  It  was  a  cave  so  vast  it  had  not  as 
yet  been  fully  explored ;  one  could  travel  for  miles  in  it 
in  a  boat ;  the  Karoondinha,  or  John  Penn's  Creek,  had 
its  source  in  it ;  Indians  had  formerly  lived  in  the  dry 
parts,  and  wild  beasts.  Then  she  lowered  her  voice  to 
say  that  it  was  now  haunted  by  the  Indians'  spirits. 

And  so  they  talked  until  a  very  late  hour,  the  crowd 
in  the  post  office  melting  away,  until  Jared  Hager,  the 
girl's  father,  in  his  wolfskin  coat,  appeared  to  escort  her 
home,  to  the  cabin  beyond  the  waterfall  near  the  trail 
to  Dolly  Hope's  Valley.  She  was  to  have  a  holiday 
until  the  next  afternoon. 

The  wolf  hunter  was  a  courageous-looking  man, 
much  darker  than  his  daughter,  with  a  heavy  black 
beard  and  bushy  eyebrows ;  in  fact,  she  was  the  only 
brown-haired,  blue-eyed  one  in  the  entire  family  con- 
nection. He  spoke  pleasantly  with  the  young  stranger, 
and  then  they  all  said  good  night. 

"Don't  forget  to  visit  the  great  cavern,"  Caroline 
called  to  the  youth. 

"I  surely  will,"  he  answered,  "and  stop  here  on  my 
way  east  to  tell  you  all  about  it." 


276  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"That's  good;  we  want  to  see  you  again,"  said  the 
girl,  as  she  disappeared  into  the  gloomy  shadows  which 
the  shaggy  white  pines  cast  across  the  road. 

Young  Stover  was  playing  "Green  Grows  the 
Rushes"  on  his  fiddle  in  the  tap-room,  and  Sargeant 
sat  there  listening  to  him,  dreaming  and  musing  all  the 
while,  his  consciousness  singularly  alert,  until  the  clos- 
ing hour  came. 

That  night,  in  the  old  stained  four-poster,  in  his  tiny, 
cold  room,  he  slept  not  at  all.  "Yet  he  feared  to 
dream."  Though  his  thoughts  carried  him  all  over  the 
world,  the  little  postmistress  was  uppermost  in  every 
fancy.  Among  the  other  things,  he  wished  that  he  had 
asked  her  to  ride  with  him  to  the  cave.  They  could  have 
visited  the  subterranean  marvels  together.  He  got  out 
of  bed  and  managed  to  light  the  fat  lamp.  By  its  sput- 
tering gleams  he  wrote  her  a  letter,  which  came  to  an 
abrupt  end  as  the. small  supply  of  ink  which  he  carried 
with  him  was  exhausted.  But  as  he  repented  of  the 
intense  sentences  penned  to  a  person  who  knew  him  so 
slightly,  he  arose  again  before  morning  and  tore  it  to 
bits. 

There  was  a  white  frost  on  the  buildings  and  ground 
when  he  came  downstairs.  The  autumn  air  was  cold, 
the  atmosphere  was  a  hazy,  melancholy  gray.  There 
seemed  to  be  a  cessation  of  all  the  living  forces  of  na- 
ture, as  if  waiting  for  the  summons  of  winter.  From 
the  chimney  of  the  old  inn  came  purple  smoke,  charged 
with  the  pungent  odor  of  burning  pine  wood. 

With  a  strange  sadness  he  saddled  his  horse  and  re- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  277 

sumed  his  ride  towards  the  west.  He  thought  con- 
stantly of  Caroline — so  much  so  that  after  he  had  trav- 
eled ten  miles  he  wanted  to  turn  back ;  he  felt  miserable 
without  her.  If  only  she  were  riding  beside  him,  the 
two  bound  for  Penn's  Valley  Cave,  he  could  be  su- 
premely happy.  Without  her,  he  did  not  care  to  visit 
the  cavern,  or  anything  else;  so  at  Jacobsburg  he 
crossed  the  Nittany  Mountains,  leaving  the  southerly 
valleys  behind. 

He  rode  up  Nittany  Valley  to  Bellefonte,  where  he 
met  the  agent  of  the  Snow  Shoe  Company.  With  this 
gentleman  he  visited  the  vast  tract  being  opened  up  to 
lumbering,  mining  and  colonization.  But  his  thoughts 
were  elsewhere;  they  were  across  the  mountains  with 
the  little  postmistress  of  Stover's. 

Satisfied  that  his  investment  would  prove  remunera- 
tive, he  left  the  development  company's  cozy  lodge- 
house,  and,  with  a  heart  growing  lighter  with  each  mile, 
started  for  the  east.  It  was  wonderful  how  differently 
— how  vastly  more  beautiful  the  country  seemed  on 
this  return  journey.  He  fully  appreciated  the  wistful 
loveliness  of  the  fast-fading  autumn  foliage,  the  crisp- 
ness  of  the  air,  the  beauty  of  each  stray  tuft  of  asters, 
the  last  survivors  of  the  wild  flowers  along  the  trail. 
The  world  was  full  of  joy,  everything  was  in  harmony. 

Again  it  was  after  nightfall  when  he  reined  his  horse 
in  front  of  Stover's  long,  rambling  public  house.  This 
time  two  doors  opened  simultaneously,  sending  forth 
golden  lights  and  shadows.  One  was  from  the  tap- 
room, where  the  hostler  emerged ;  the  other  from  the 


278  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

post  office,  bringing  little  Caroline.  There  was  no  mail 
that  night,  consequently  the  office  was  practically  de- 
serted; she  had  time  to  come  out  and  greet  her  much- 
admired  friend.  And  let  it  be  said  that  ever  since  she 
had  seen  him  her  heart  was  agog  with  the  image  of 
Mifflin  Sargeant.  She  was  canny  enough  to  appreciate 
such  a  man ;  besides,  he  was  a  good-looking  youth, 
though  perhaps  of  a  less  robust  type  than  those  most 
admired  in  the  Red  Hills. 

After  cordial  greetings  the  young  man  ate  supper, 
after  which  he  repaired  to  the  post  office.  By  that  time 
the  last  straggler  was  gone ;  he  had  a  blissful  evening 
with  his  fair  Caroline.  She  anticipated  his  coming, 
being  somewhat  of  a  psychic,  and  had  arranged  to  spend 
the  night  with  the  Stovers.  There  was  no  hurry  to 
retire ;  when  they  went  out  on  the  porch,  preparatory 
to  locking  up,  the  hunter's  moon  was  sinking  behind 
the  western  knobs,  which  rose  like  the  pyramids  of 
Egypt  against  the  sky  line. 

Sargeant  lingered  around  the  old  house  lor 
days;  when  he  departed  it  was  with  extreme  rcruct  .. 
Seeing  Caroline  again  in  the  future  appeared  like  some- 
thing too  good  to  be  true,  so  down-hearted  was  he  at 
the  parting.  But  he  had  arranged  to  come  back  the 
following  autumn,  bringing  an  extra  horse  with  him. 
and  the  two  would  ride  to  the  wonderful  cavern  in 
Perm's  Valley  and  explore  to  the  ends  its  stygian  depths. 
Meanwhile  they  would  make  most  of  their  separation 
through  a  regular  correspondence. 

Despite  glances,  pressure  of  hands,  chance  caresses, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  279 

and  evident  happiness  in  one  another's  society,  not  a 
word  of  love  had  passed  between  the  pair.  That  was 
why  the  pain  of  parting  was  so  intense.  If  Caroline 
could  have  remembered  one  loving  phrase,  Mien  she 
would  have  felt  that  she  had  something  tangible  on 
which  to  hang  her  hopes.  If  the  young  Philadelphian 
had  unburdened  his  heart  by  telling  her  that  he  loved 
her,  and  her  alone,  and  heard  her  words  of  affirmation, 
the  world  out  into  which  he  was  riding  would  have 
seemed  less  a  blank. 

But  underneath  his  love,  burning  like  a  hot  branding 
iron,  was  his  consciousness  of  class,  his  fear  of  the 
consequences  if  he  took  to  the  great  city  a  bride  from 
another  sphere.  As  an  only  son,  he  could  not  picture 
himself  deserting  his  widowed  mother  and  sisters,  and 
living  at  Snow  Shoe ;  there  he  was  sure  that  Caroline 
would  be  happy.  Neither  could  he  see  permanent 
peace  of  mind  if  he  married  her  and  brought  her  into 
his  exclusive  circles  in  the  Quaker  City. 

As  he  was  an  honorable  young  man,  and  his  love  was 
real,  making  her  truly  and  always  happy  was  the  solitary 
consideration.  These  thoughts  marred  the  parting; 
they  blistered  and  ravaged  his  spirit  on  the  whole 
dreary  way  back  to  Liverpool.  There  his  colored  ser- 
vant, an  antic  darkey,  was  waiting  at  the  old  Susque- 
hanna House  to  ride  the  horse  to  Philadelphia. 

The  young  man  boarded  the  packet,  riding  on  it  to 
Harrisburg,  where  he  took  the  steam  train  for  home. 
In  one  way  he  was  happier  than  ever  before  in  his  life, 
for  he  had  found  love ;  in  another  he  was  the  most  de- 


280  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

jected  of  men,  for  his  beloved  might  never  be  his  own. 
He  seemed  gayer  and  stronger  to  his  family;  evi- 
dently the  trip  into  the  wilderness  had  done  him  good. 
He  had  begun  his  letter-writing  to  Caroline  promptly. 
It  was  his  great  solace  in  his  heart  perplexity.  She 
wrote  a  very  good  letter,  very  tender  and  sympathetic ; 
the  handwriting  was  clear,  almost  masculine,  denoting 
the  bravery  of  her  spirit. 

During  the  winter  he  was  called  upon  through  his 
sisters  to  mingle  much  with  the  society  of  the  city.  He 
met  many  beautiful  and  attractive  young  women,  but 
for  him  the  die  of  love  had  been  cast.  He  was  Caro- 
line's irretrievably.  Absence  made  his  love  firmer,  yet 
the  solution  of  it  all  the  more  enigmatical. 

The  time  passed  on  apace.  Another  autumn  set  in, 
but  on  account  of  important  business  matters  it  was  not 
until  December  that  Sargeant  departed  for  the  wilds  of 
mountainous  Pennsylvania.  But  he  could  spend  Christ- 
mas with  his  love. 

This  time  he  sent  two  horses  ahead  to  Liverpool. 
When  he  reached  the  queer  old  river  town  he  dropped 
into  an  old  saddlery  shop,  where  the  canal-boat  drivers 
had  their  harness  mended,  and  purchased  a  neat  side 
saddle,  all  studded  with  brass-headed  nails.  This  he 
tied  on  behind  his  servant's  saddle. 

The  two  horsemen  started  up  the  beautiful  West 
Mahantango,  crossing  the  Shade  Mountain  to  Swine- 
fordstown,  thence  along  the  edge  of  Jack's  Mountain, 
by  the  gently  flowing  Karoondinha,  to  Hartley  Hall 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  281 

and  the  Narrows,  through  the  Fox  Gap  and  Minnick's 
Gap,  a  slightly  shorter  route  to  Stover's. 

On  his  previous  trip  he  had  ridden  along  the  river  to 
Selin's  Grove,  across  Chestnut  Ridge  to  New  Berlin, 
over  Shamokin  Ridge  to  Youngmanstown,  and  from 
there  to  the  Narrows;  he  was  in  no  hurry;  no  dbarly 
loved  girl  was  waiting  for  him  in  those  days. 

Caroline,  looking  prettier  than  ever — she  was  a  trifle 
plumper  and  redder  cheeked — was  at  the  post  office 
steps  to  greet  him.  Despite  his  avoidance  of  words  of 
love,  she  was  certain  of  his  inmost  feelings,  and  opined 
that  somehow  the  ultimate  result  would  be  well. 

Sargeant  had  arranged  to  arrive  on  a  Saturday  even- 
ing, so  that  they  could  begin  their  ride  to  the  cave  that 
night  after  the  post  office  closed,  and  be  there  bright 
and  early  Sunday  morning.  For  this  reason  he  had 
traveled  by  very  easy  stages  from  Hartley  Hall,  that 
the  horses  might  be  fresh  for  their  added  journey. 

Sargeant's  devoted  Negro  factotum  was  taken  some- 
what aback  when  he  saw  how  attentive  the  young  man 
was  to  the  girl,  and  marveled  at  the  mountain  maid's 
rare  beauty.  Upon  instructions  from  his  master,  he  set 
about  to  changing  the  saddles,  placing  the  brand  new 
lady's  saddle  on  the  horse  he  had  been  riding. 

It  was  not  long  until  the  tiny  post  office  was  closed 
for  the  night,  and  Caroline  emerged,  wearing  a  many- 
caped  red  riding  coat,  the  hood  of  which  she  threw  over 
her  head  to  keep  the  wavy,  chestnut  hair  in  place.  She 
climbed  into  the  saddle  gracefully — she  seemed  a 
natural  horse-woman — and  soon  the  loving  pair  were 


282  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

cantering  up  the  road  towards  Wolfe's  Store,  Rebers- 
burg  and  the  cave. 

It  was  not  quite  daybreak  when  they  passed  the 
home  of  old  Jacob  Harshbarger,  the  tenant  of  the  "cave 
farm ;"  a  Creeley  rooster  was  crowing  lustily  in  the 
barnyard,  the  unmilked  cattle  of  the  ancient  black  breed 
shook  their  shaggy  heads  lazily ;  no  one  was  up. 

The  young  couple  had  planned  to  visit  the  cave, 
breakfast,  and  spend  the  day  with  Caroline's  sister, 
who  lived  not  far  away  at  Centre  Hill,  and  ride  leisurely 
back  to  Stover's  in  the  late  afternoon.  It  had  been  a 
very  cold  all-night  ride,  but  they  had  been  so  happy 
that  it  seemed  brief  and  free  from  all  disagreeable 
physical  sensations. 

In  those  days  there  was  no  boat  in  the  cave,  and  no 
guides ;  consequently  all  intending  visitors  had  to  bring 
their  own  torches.  This  Caroline  had  seen  to,  and  in 
her  leisure  moments  for  weeks  before  her  lover's  com- 
ing, had  bee1    m ing  a  supply  of  rich  pine  lights  that 

would  see  tin-  ly  through  the  gloomy  labyrinths. 

They  fed  their  horses  and  then  tied  them  to  the  fence 
of  the  orchard  which  surrounded  the  entrance  to  the 
"dry"  cave,  which  had  been  recently  set  out.  Several 
big  original  white  pines  grew  along  the  road,  and  would 
give  the  horses  shelter  in  case  it  turned  out  to  be  a 
windy  day.  The  young  couple  strolled  through  the 
orchard,  and  down  the  steep  path  to  the  mouth  of  the 
"watery"  cave,  where  they  gazed  for  some  minutes  at 
the  expanse  of  greenish  water,  the  high  span  of  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  283 

arched  roof,  the  general  impressiveness  of  the  scene,  so 
like  the  stage  setting  of  some  elfin  drama. 

They  sat  on  the  dead  grass,  near  this  entrance,  eating 
a  light  breakfast  with  relish.  Then  they  wended  their 
way  up  the  hill  to  the  circular  "hole  in  the  ground" 
which  formed  the  doorway  to  the  "dry"  cave.  The 
torches  were  carefully  lit,  the  supply  of  fresh  ones  was 
tied  in  a  bundle  about  Sargeant's  waist.  The  burning 
pine  gave  forth  an  aromatic  odor  and  a  mellow  light. 
They  descended  through  the  narrow  opening,  the  young 
man  going  ahead  and  helping  his  sweetheart  after  him. 
Down  the  spiral  passageway  they  went,  until  at  length 
they  came  into  a  larger  chamber.  Here  the  torches  cast 
unearthly  shadows,  bats  flitted  about ;  some  small  ani- 
mal ran  past  them  into  an  aperture  at  a  far  corner. 
Sargeant  declared  that  he  believed  the  elusive  creature 
a  fox,  and  he  followed  in  the  direction  in  which  it  had 
rone. 

When  he  came  to  this  opening  he  peered  through  it, 
finding  that  it  led  to  an  inner  chamber  of  impressive 
proportions.  He  went  back,  taking  Caroline  by  the 
hand,  and  led  her  to  the  narrow  chamber,  into  which 
they  both  entered.  Once  in  the  interior  room,  they 
were  amazed  by  its  size,  the  height  of  its  roof,  the 
beauty  of  the  stalactite  formations.  They  sat  down  on 
a  fallen  stalagmite,  holding  aloft  their  torches,  absorbed 
by  the  beauty  of  the  scene. 

In  the  midst  of  their  musing,  a  sudden  gust  of  wind 
blew  out  their  lights.  They  were  in  utter  darkness. 
The  young  lover  bade  his  sweetheart  be  unafraid,  while 


284  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

he  reached  his  hand  in  his  pocket  for  the  matches. 
They  were  primitive  affairs,  the  few  he  had,  and  he 
could  not  make  them  light.  He  had  not  counted  on  the 
use  of  the  matches,  as  he  thought  one  torch  could  be  lit 
from  another;  consequently  had  brought  so  few  with 
him.  Finally  he  lit  a  match,  but  the  dampness  extin- 
guished it  before  he  could  ignite  his  torch. 

When  the  last  match  failed,  it  seemed  as  if  the  couple 
were  in  a  serious  predicament.  They  first  shouted  at 
the  top  of  their  voices  but  only  empty  echoes  answered 
them.  They  fumbled  about  in  the  chamber,  stumbling 
over  rocks  and  stalagmites,  their  eyes  refusing  to  be- 
come accustomed  to  the  profound  blackness.  Try  as 
they  would,  they  could  not  locate  the  passage  that  led 
from  the  room  they  were  in  to  the  outer  apartment. 

Caroline,  little  heroine  that  she  was,  made  no  com- 
plaint. If  she  had  any  secret  fears,  her  lover  effect- 
ually quenched  them  by  telling  her  that  the  presence  of 
the  two  saddle  horses  tied  to  the  orchard  fence  would 
acquaint  the  Harshbarger  family  of  their  presence  in 
the  cave. 

"Surely,"  he  went  on,  "we  will  be  rescued  in  a  few 
hours.  There's  bound  to  be  some  member  of  the  house- 
hold or  some  hunter  see  those  horses." 

But  the  hours  passed,  and  with  them  came  no  inti- 
mations of  rescue.  But  the  two  "prisoners"  loved  one 
another,  time  was  nothing  to  them.  In  the  outer  world, 
both  thought,  but  neither  made  bold  to  say,  that  they 
might  have  to  separate — in  the  cave  they  were  one  in 
purpose,  one  in  love.    How  gloriously  happy  they  were  ! 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  285 

But  they  did  get  a  trifle  hungry,  but  that  was  appeased 
at  first  by  the  remnants  of  the  breakfast  provisions, 
which  they  luckily  still  had  in  a  little  bundle. 

When  sufficient  time  had  elapsed  for  night  to  set  in, 
they  fell  asleep,  and  in  each  other's  arms.  Caroline's 
last  conscious  moment  was  to  feel  her  lover's  kisses. 
When  they  awoke,  many  hours  afterwards,  they  were 
hungrier  than  ever,  and  thirsty.  Sargeant  fumbled 
about,  locating  a  small  pool  of  water,  where  the  two 
quenched  their  thirsts.  But  still  they  were  happy,  come 
what  may. 

They  would  be  rescued,  that  was  certain,  unless  the 
horses  had  broken  loose  and  run  away,  but  there  was 
small  chance  of  that.  They  had  been  securely  tied.  It 
was  strange  that  no  one  had  seen  the  steeds  in  so  long  a 
time,  with  the  farmhouse  less  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile 
away — but  it  was  at  the  foot  of  the  hill. 

Hunger  grew  apace  with  every  hour.  After  a  while 
drinking  water  could  not  sate  it.  It  throbbed  and 
ached,  it  became  a  dull  pain  that  only  love  could  tri- 
umph over.  Again  enough  hours  elapsed  to  bring 
sleep,  but  it  was  harder  to  find  repose,  though  Sar- 
geant's  kisses  were  marvelous  recompense.  Caroline 
never  whimpered  from  lack  of  food.  To  be  with  her 
lover  was  all  she  asked.  She  had  prayed  for  over  a 
year  to  be  with  him  again.  She  would  be  glad  to  die 
at  his  side,  even  of  starvation. 

The  young  man  was  content ;  hunger  was  less  a  pain 
to  him  than  had  been  the  past  fourteen  months'  separa- 
tion. 


286  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Again  came  what  they  supposed  to  be  morning. 
They  knew  that  there  must  be  some  way  out  near  at 
hand,  as  the  air  was  so  pure.  They  shouted,  but  the 
dull  echoes  were  their  only  reward.  Strangely  enough, 
they  had  never  felt  another  cold  gust  like  the  one  which 
had  blown  out  their  torches.  Could  the  shade  of  one  of 
the  old-time  Indians  who  had  fought  for  possession  of 
the  cave  been  perpetrator  of  the  trick  ?  suggested  lovely 
little  Caroline.  If  so,  she  thought  to  herself,  he  had 
helped  her,  not  harmed  her,  for  could  there  be  in  the 
world  a  sensation  half  so  sweet  as  sinking  to  rest  in 
her  lover's  arms? 

Meanwhile  the  world  outside  the  cavern  had  been 
going  its  way.  Shortly  after  the  young  equestrians 
passed  the  Harshbarger  dwelling,  all  the  family  had 
come  out,  and,  after  attending  to  their  farm  duties, 
driven  off  to  the  Seven  Mountains,  where  the  sons  of 
the  family  maintained  a  hunting  camp  on  Cherry  Run, 
on  the  other  side  of  High  Valley. 

The  boys  had  killed  an  elk,  consequently  the  guests 
remained  longer  than  expected,  to  partake  of  a  grand 
Christmas  feast.  They  tarried  at  the  camp  all  of  that 
day,  all  of  the  next ;  it  was  not  until  early  on  the  morn- 
ing of  the  third  day  that  they  started  back  to  the  Penn's 
Creek  farm. 

They  had  arranged  with  a  neighbor's  boy,  Mosey 
Scull,  who  lived  further  along  the  creek  below  the  farm- 
house, to  do  the  feeding  in  their  absence ;  it  was  win- 
ter, there  was  no  need  to  hurry  home. 

When  they  got  home  they  found  Mosey  in  the  act  of 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  287 

watering  two  very  dejected  and  dirty  looking  horses 
with  saddles  on  their  backs. 

"Where  did  they  come  from?"  shouted  the  big 
freight-wagon  load  in  unison. 

"I  found  them  tied  to  the  fence  up  at  the  orchard. 
By  the  way  they  act  I'd  think  they  hadn't  been  watered 
or  fed  for  several  days,"  replied  the  boy. 

"You  dummy!"  said  old  Harshbarger,  in  Dutch. 
"Somebody's  in  that  cave,  and  got  lost,  and  can't  get 
out." 

He  jumped  from  the  heavy  wagon  and  ran  to  a  cor- 
ner of  the  corncrib,  where  he  kept  a  stock  of  torches. 
Then  he  hurried  up  the  steep  hill  towards  the  entrance 
to  the  "dry"  cave.  The  big  man  was  panting  when  he 
rached  the  opening,  where  he  paused  a  moment  to 
kindle  a  torch  with  his  flints.  Then  he  lowered  himself 
into  the  aperture,  shouting  at  the  top  of  his  voice, 
"Hello!    Hello!    Hello!" 

It  was  not  until  he  had  gotten  into  the  first  chamber 
that  the  captives  in  the  inner  room  could  hear  him. 
Sargeant  had  been  sitting  with  his  back  propped  against 
the  cavern  wall,  while  Caroline,  very  pale  and  white- 
lipped,  was  lying  across  his  knees,  gazing  up  into  the 
darkness,  imagining  that  she  could  see  his  face. 

When  they  heard  the  cheery  shouts  of  their  deliverer 
they  did  not  instantly  attempt  to  scramble  to  their  feet. 
Instead  the  young  lover  bent  over ;  his  lips  touched 
Caroline's,  who  instinctively  had  raised  her  face  to  meet 
his.    As  his  lips  touched  hers,  he  whispered : 


288  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"I  love  you,  darling,  with  all  my  heart.  We  will  be 
married  when  we  get  out  of  here." 

Caroline  had  time  to  say :  "You  are  my  only  love," 
before  their  lips  came  together. 

They  were  in  that  position  when  the  flare  of  Farmer 
Harshbarger's  torch  lit  up  their  hiding  place.  Pretty 
soon  they  were  on  their  feet  and,  with  their  rescuer, 
figuring  out  just  how  long  they  had  been  in  their  prison 
— their  prison  of  love. 

They  had  gone  into  the  cave  on  the  morning  of  De- 
cember 24th;  it  was  now  the  morning  of  the  27th;  in 
fact  almost  noon.     Christmas  had  come  and  gone. 

Caroline  still  had  enough  strength  in  reserve  to  enable 
her  to  climb  up  the  tortuous  passage,  though  her  lover 
did  help  her  some,  as  all  lovers  should. 

The  farmer's  wife  had  some  coffee  and  buckwheat 
cakes  ready  when  they  arrived  at  the  mansion,  which 
the  erstwhile  captives  of  Penn's  Cave  sat  down  to  enjoy. 

As  they  were  eating,  another  of  Harshbarger's  sons 
rode  up  on  horseback.  He  had  been  to  the  post  office 
at  Earlysburg.  He  handed  Sargeant  a  tiny,  roughly 
typed  newspaper  published  in  Millheim.  Across  the 
front  page,  in  letters  larger  than  usual,  were  the  words, 
"Mexico  Declares  War  on  the  United  States." 

Sargeant  scanned  the  headline  intently,  then  laid  the 
paper  on  the  table. 

"Our  country  has  been  drawn  into  a  war  with 
Mexico,"  he  said,  his  voice  trembling  with  emotion. 
"I  had  hoped  it  might  be  avoided.  I  am  First  Lieuten- 
ant of  the  Lafayette  Greys;  I  fear  I'll  have  to  go." 


BIG    SNYDER   COl'XTY   WILD   CAT 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


289 


Caroline  lost  the  color  which  had  come  back  to  her 
pretty  cheeks  since  emerging  from  the  underground 
dungeon.  She  reached  over,  grasping  her  lover's  now 
clammy  hand.  Then,  noticing  that  no  one  was  listening, 
she  said,  faintly : 

"It  is  terrible  to  have  you  leave  me  now;  but  won't 
you  marry  me  before  you  go?    I  do  love  you." 

"Certainly  I  will,"  replied  Sargeant,  with  enthusiasm. 
"I  will  have  more  to  fight  for,  with  you  at  home  bear- 
ing my  name." 

Love  had  broken  the  bonds  of  caste. 


XXI. 

The  Silent  Friend 

EVERY  ONE  who  has  hunted  in  the  "Seven 
Brothers'",  as  the  Seven  Mountains  are  called 
in  Central  Pennsylvania,  has  heard  of  Daniel 
Karstetter,  the  famous  Nimrod.  The  Seven  Moun- 
tains comprise  the  Path  Valley,  Short  Bald,  Thick 
Head,  Sand,  Shade  and  Tussey  Mountains.  Though 
three-quarters  of  a  century  has  passed  since  he  was  in 
his  hey-day  as  a  slayer  of  big  game,  his  fame  is  un- 
diminished. Anecdotes  of  his  prowess  are  related  in 
every  hunting  camp;  by  one  and  all  he  has  been 
acclaimed  the  greatest  hunter  that  the  Seven  Brothers 
ever  produced. 

The  great  Nimrod,  who  lived  to  a  very  advanced 
age,  was  born  in  1818  on  the  banks  of  Pine  Creek,  at 
the  Blue  Rock,  half  a  mile  below  the  present  town  of 
Coburn.  In  addition  to  his  hunting  prowess,  he  was 
interested  in  psychic  experiences,  and  was  as  prone  to 
discuss  his  adventures  with  supernatural  agencies  as 
his  conflicts  with  the  wild  denizens  of  the  forests. 
There  was  a  particular  ghost  story  which  he  loved 
dearly  to  relate. 

Accompanied  by  his  younger  brother  Jacob,  he  had 
been  attending  a  dance  one  night  across  the  mountains, 
in  the  environs  of  the  town  of  Milroy,  for  like  all  the 
backwoods  boys  of  his  time,  he  was  adept  in  the  art 
of  terpsichore.    The  long  journey  was  made  on  horse- 

290 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  291 

back,  the  lads  being  mounted  on  stout  Conestoga 
chargers. 

The  homeward  ride  was  commenced  after  midnight, 
the  two  brothers  riding  along  the  dark  trail  in  single 
file.  In  the  wide  flat  on  the  top  of  the  "Big  Mountain" 
Daniel  fell  into  a  doze.  When  he  awoke,  his  mount 
having  stumbled  on  a  stone,  Jacob  was  nowhere  to  be 
seen.  Thinking  that  his  brother  had  put  his  horse  to 
trot  and  gone  on  ahead,  Daniel  dismissed  the  matter  of 
his  absence  from  his  mind. 

As  he  was  riding  down  the  steep  slope  of  the  moun- 
tain, he  noticed  a  horseman  waiting  for  him  on  the 
path.  When  they  came  abreast  the  other  rider  fell  in 
beside  him,  skillfully  guiding  his  horse  so  that  it  did 
not  enounter  the  dense  foliage  which  lined  the  narrow 
way.  Daniel  supposed  the  party  to  be  his  brother, 
although  the  unknown  kept  his. lynx-skin  collar  turned 
up,  and  his  felt  cap  was  pulled  down  level  with  his 
eyes.  It  was  pitchy  dark,  so  to  make  sure,  Daniel 
called  out : 

"Is  that  you,  Jacob?" 

His  companion  did  not  reply,  so  the  young  man 
repeated  his  query  in  still  louder  tones,  but  all  he 
heard  was  the  crunching  of  the  horses'  hoofs  on  the 
pebbly  road. 

Daniel  Karstetter,  master  slayer  of  panthers,  bears 
and  wolves,  was  no  coward,  though  on  this  occasion  he 
felt  uneasy.  Yet  he  disliked  picking  a  quarrel  with 
the  silent  man  at  his  side,  who  clearly  was  not  his 
brother,  and  he  feared  to  put  his  horse  to  a  gallop  on 


292  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

the  steep,  uneven  roadway.  The  trip  home  never 
before  seemed  of  such  interminable  length.  For  the 
greater  part  of  the  distance  Daniel  made  no  attempt  to 
converse  with  his  unsociable  comrade.  Finally,  he 
heaved  a  sigh  of  relief  when  he  saw  a  light  gleaming 
in  the  horse  stable  at  the  home  farm.  When  he 
reached  the  barnyard  gate  he  dismounted  to  let  down 
the  bars,  while  the  stranger  apparently  vanished  in  the 
gloom. 

Daniel  led  his  mount  to  the  horse  stable,  where  he 
found  his  brother  Jacob  sitting  by  the  old  tin  lantern, 
fast  asleep.  He  awakened  him  and  asked  him  when 
he  had  gotten  home.  Jacob  stated  that  his  horse  had 
been  feeling  good,  so  he  let  him  canter  all  the  way. 
He  had  been  sleeping,  but  judged  that  he  had  been 
home  at  least  half  an  hour.  He  had  met  no  horseman 
on  the  road. 

Daniel  was  convinced  that  his  companion  had  been 
a  ghost,  or,  as  they  are  called  in  the  "Seven  Brothers," 
a  gshpook.  But  he  made  no  further  comment  that 
night. 

A  year  afterwards,  in  coming  back  alone  from  a 
dance  in  Stone  Valley,  he  was  again  joined  by  the 
silent  horseman,  who  followed  him  to  his  barnyard 
gate.  He  gave  up  going  to  dances  on  that  account.  At 
least  once  a  year,  or  as  long  as  he  was  able  to  go  out 
at  night,  he  met  the  ghostly  rider.  Sometimes,  when 
tramping  along  on  foot  after  a  hunt,  or,  in  later  years, 
coming  back  from  market  at  Bellefonte  in  his  Jenny 
Lind,  he  would  find  the  silent  horseman  at  his  side. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  293 

After  the  first  experience,  he  never  attempted  to  speak 
to  the  night  rider,  but  he  became  convinced  that  it 
meant  him  no  harm. 

As  his  prowess  as  a  hunter  became  recognized,  he 
had  many  jealous  rivals  among  the  less  successful 
Nimrods.  In  those  old  days  threats  of  all  kinds  were 
freely  made.  He  heard  on  several  occasions  that  cer- 
tain hunters  were  setting  out  to  "fix"  him.  But  a  man 
who  could  wrestle  with  panthers  and  bears  knew  no 
such  thing  as  fear. 

One  night,  while  tramping  along  in  Green's  Valley, 
he  was  startled  by  some  one  in  the  path  ahead  of  him 
shouting  out  in  Pennsylvania  German,  "Hands  up !" 
He  was  on  the  point  of  dropping  his  rifle,  when  he 
heard  the  rattle  of  hoof  beats  back  of  him.  The  silent 
horseman  in  an  instant  was  by  his  side,  the  dark  horse 
pawing  the  earth  with  his  giant  hoofs.  There  was  a 
crackling  of  brush  in  the  path  ahead,  and  no  more 
threats  of  hend  uff. 

The  ghostly  rider  followed  Daniel  to  his  barn  yard 
gate,  but  was  gone  before  he  could  utter  a  word  of 
thanks.  As  the  result  of  this  adventure,  he  became 
imbued  with  the  idea  that  he  possessed  a  charmed  life. 
It  gave  him  added  courage  in  his  many  encounters  with 
panthers,  the  fierce  red  bears  and  lynxes. 

Apart  from  his  love  of  hunting  the  more  dangerous 
animals,  Daniel  enjoyed  the  sport  of  deer-stalking.  He 
maintained  several  licks,  one  of  them  in  a  patch  of 
low  ground  over  the  hill  from  the  entrance  to  the 
"dry"  part  of   Penn's   Cave.        At  this   spot  he  con- 


294  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

structed  a  blind,  or  platform,  between  the  two  ancient 
tupelo  trees,  about  twenty  feet  from  the  ground,  and 
many  were  the  huge  white-faced  stags  which  fell  to 
his  unerring  bullets  during  the  rutting  season. 

One  cold  night,  according  to  an  anecdote  frequently 
related  by  one  of  his  descendants,  while  perched  in  his 
eyrie  overlooking  the  natural  clearing  which  consti- 
tuted the  lick,  and  in  sight  of  a  path  frequented  by 
the  fiercer  beasts,  which  led  to  the  opening  of  the 
"dry"  cave,  he  saw,  about  midnight,  a  huge  pantheress, 
followed  by  a  large  male  of  the  same  species,  come 
out  into  the  open. 

"The  pantheress  strolled  from  the  path,"  so  the 
story  went,  "and  came  and  laid  herself  down  at  the 
roots  of  the  tupelo  trees,  while  the  panther  remained 
in  the  path,  and  seemed  to  be  listening  to  some  noise 
as  yet  inaudible  to  the  hunter. 

"Daniel  soon  heard  a  distant  roaring;  it  seemed  to 
come  from  the  very  summit  of  the  Brush  Mountain, 
and  immediately  the  pantheress  answered  it.  Then 
the  panther  on  the  path,  his  jealousy  aroused,  com- 
menced to  roar  with  a  voice  so  loud  that  the  frightened 
hunter  almost  let  go  his  trusty  rifle  and  held  tighter  to 
the  railing  of  his  blind,  lest  he  might  tumble  to  the 
earth.  As  the  voice  of  the  animal  that  he  had  heard 
in  the  distance  gradually  approached,  the  pantheress 
welcomed  him  with  renewed  roarings,  and  the  panther, 
restless,  went  and  came  from  the  path  to  his  flirtatious 
flame,   as   though  he  wished   her  to   keep   silence,   as 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  295 

though  to  say,  'Let  him  come  if  he  dares ;  he  will  find 
his  match'. 

"In  about  an  hour  a  panther,  with  mouse-color, 
or  grey  coat,  stepped  out  of  the  forest,  and  stood  in 
the  full  moonlight  on  the  other  side  of  the  cleared 
place,  the  moonbeams  illuminating  his  form  with  a 
glow  like  phosphorescence.  The  pantheress,  eyeing  him 
with  admiration,  raised  herself  to  go  to  him,  but  the 
panther,  divining  her  intent,  rushed  before  her  and 
marched  right  at  his  adversary.  With  measured  step 
and  slow,  they  approached  to  within  a  dozen  paces 
of  each  other,  their  smooth,  round  heads  high  in  the 
air,  their  bulging  yellow  eyes  gleaming,  their  long, 
tufted  tails  slowly  sweeping  down  the  brittle  asters 
that  grew  about  them.  They  crouched  to  the  earth — ■ 
a  moment's  pause — and  then  they  bounded  with  a 
hellish  scream  high  in  the  air  and  rolled  on  the  ground, 
locked  in  their  last  embrace. 

"The  battle  was  long  and  fearful,  to  the  amazed  and 
spellbound  witness  of  this  midnight  duel.  Even  if  he 
had  so  wished,  he  could  not  have  taken  steady  enough 
aim  to  fire.  But  he  preferred  to  watch  the  combat, 
while  the  moonlight  lasted.  The  bones  of  the  two 
combatants  cracked  under  their  powerful  jaws,  their 
talons  painted  the  frosty  ground  with  blood,  and  their 
outcries,  now  gutteral,  now  sharp  and  loud,  told  their 
rage  and  agony. 

"At  the  beginning  of  the  contest  the  pantheress 
crouched  herself  on  her  belly,  with  her  eyes  fixed  upon 
the    gladiators,    and    all    the    while    the    battle    raged, 


296  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

manifested  by  the  slow,  catlike  motion  of  her  tail,  the 
pleasure  she  felt  at  the  spectacle.  When  the  scene 
closed,  and  all  was  quiet  and  silent  and  deathlike  on  the 
lick,  and  the  moon  had  commenced  to  wane,  she  cau- 
tiously approached  the  battle-gound  and,  sniffing  the 
lifeless  bodies  of  her  two  lovers,  walked  leisurely  to  a 
nearby  oak,  where  she  stood  on  her  hind  feet,  sharp- 
ening her  fore  claws  on  the  bark. 

"She  glared  up  ferociously  at  the  hunter  in  the  blind, 
as  if  she  meant  to  vent  her  anger  by  climbing  after 
him.  In  the  moonlight  her  golden  eyes  appeared  so 
terrifying  that  Daniel  dropped  his  rifle,  and  it  fell  to 
the  earth  with  a  sickening  thud.  As  he  reached  after 
it,  the  flimsy  railing  gave  way  and  he  fell,  literally 
into  the  arms  of  the  pantheress.  At  that  moment 
the  rumble  of  horses'  hoofs,  like  thunder  on  some 
distant  mountain,  was  heard.  Just  as  the  panther 
was  about  to  rend  the  helpless  Nimrod  to  bits,  the 
unknown  rider  came  into  view.  Scowling  at  the 
intruder,  mounted  on  his  huge  black  horse,  the  brute 
abandoned  its  prey  and  ambled  off  up  the  hill  in  the 
direction  of  the  dry  cave. 

"Daniel  seized  his  firearm  and  sent  a  bullet  after 
her  retreating  form,  but  it  apparently  went  wild  of 
its  mark.  Meanwhile,  before  he  had  time  to  express 
his  gratitude  to  the  strange  deliverer,  he  had  vanished. 

"Daniel  was  dumbfounded.  As  soon  as  he  had  re- 
covered from  the  blood-curdling  episodes,  built  a  small 
fire  near  the  mammoth  carcasses,  where  he  warmed 
his  much  benumbed  hands.     Then  he  examined  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  297 

dead   panthers,   but   found   that   their   hides    were   too 
badly  torn  to  warrant  skinning. 

"Disgusted  at  not  getting  his  deer,  and  being  even 
cheated  out  of  the  panther  pelts,  he  dragged  the  ghastly 
remains  of  the  erstwhile  kings  of  the  forest  by  their 
tails  to  the  edge  of  the  entrance  to  the  dry  cave. 
There  he  cut  off  the  long  ears  in  order  to  collect  the 
bounty,  and  then  shoved  the  carcasses  into  the  open- 
ing. They  fell  with  sickening  thuds  into  the  chamber 
beneath,  to  the  evident  horror  of  the  pantheress,  which 
uttered  a  couple  of  piercing  screams  as  the  horrid 
remnants  of  the  recent  battle  royal  landed  in  her 
vicinity. 

"Then  Jacob  shouldered  his  rifle  and  started  out  in 
search  of  small  game  for  breakfast.  That  night  he 
went  to  another  of  his  licks  on  Elk  Creek,  near  Ful- 
mer's  Sink,  where  he  killed  four  superb  stags,"  so  the 
story  concludes. 

But  to  his  dying  day  he  always  placed  the  battle  of 
the  panthers  first  of  all  his  hunting  adventures.  And 
his  faith  in  the  unknown  horseman  as  his  deliverer  and 
good  genius  became  the  absorbing,  all-pervading  in- 
fluence of  his  life. 


XXII. 

The  Fountain  of  Youth 

OLD  Chief  Wisamek,  of  the  Kittochtinny  Indians, 
had  lost  his  spouse.  He  was  close  to  sixty  years 
of  age,  which  was  old  for  a  redman,  especially 
one  who  had  led  the  hard  life  of  a  warrior,  exposed  to 
all  kinds  of  weather,  fasts  and  forced  marches.  Though 
he  felt  terribly  lonely  and  depressed  in  his  state  of 
widowerhood,  the  thought  of  discarding  the  fidelity  of 
the  eagle,  which,  if  bereaved,  never  takes  a  second 
mate,  and  was  the  noble  bird  he  worshipped,  seemed 
repugnant  to  him  until  he  happened  to  see  the  fair  and 
buxom  maid  Annapalpeteu. 

He  was  rheumatic,  walking  with  difficulty ;  he  tired 
easily,  was  fretful,  all  sure  signs  of  increasing  age;  but 
what  upset  him  most  was  the  sight  of  his  reflection  in 
his  favorite  pool,  a  haggard,  weazened,  wrinkled  face, 
with  a  nose  like  the  beak  of  an  eagle,  and  glazed  eyes  as 
colorless  as  clay.  When  he  opened  his  mouth  the  re- 
flected image  seemed  to  be  mostly  toothless,  the  lips 
were  blue  and  thin.  He  had  noticed  that  he  did  not 
need  to  pluck  the  hairs  from  his  skull  any  more  to  give 
prominence  to  his  warrior's  top-knot;  the  proud  tufts 
itself  was  growing  sparse  and  weak;  to  keep  it  erect  he 
was  now  compelled  to  braid  it  with  hair  from  a  buffa- 
lo's tail. 

Brave  warrior  that  he  was,  he  hated  to  pay  his  court 

298 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  299 


to  the  lovely  Annapalpeteu  when  on  all  sides  he  saw- 
stalwart,  six-foot  youths,  masses  of  sinews  and  muscle, 
clear-eyed,  firm-lipped,  always  ambitious  and  high- 
spirited,  more  suited  to  be  her  companions. 

But  one  afternoon  he  saw  his  copper-colored  love 
sitting  by  the  side  of  the  Bohundy  Creek,  beating  maize 
in  a  wooden  trough.  Her  entire  costume  consisted  of  a 
tight  petticoat  of  blue  cloth,  hardly  reaching  to  the 
knees,  and  without  any  ruffles.  Her  cheeks  and  fore- 
head were  neatly  daubed  with  red.  She  seemed  very 
well  content  with  her  coadjutor,  a  bright  young  fellow, 
who,  except  for  two  wild  cat  hides  appropriately  dis- 
tributed, was  quite  as  naked  as  the  ingenuous  beauty. 
That  Annapalpeteau  had  a  cavalier  was  now  certain, 
and  immediately  it  rankled  what  flames  remained  in  his 
jaded  body;  he  must  have  her  at  any  cost. 

Down  by  the  Conadogwinet,  across  the  Broad  Moun- 
tain, lived  Mbison,  a  wise  man.  Old  Wisamek  would 
go  there  and  consult  him,  perhaps  obtain  from  him 
some  potion  to  permanently  restore  at  least  a  few  of 
the  fires  of  his  lost  youth.  Though  his  will  power  had 
been  appreciably  slackening  of  late  years,  he  acted  with 
alacrity  on  the  idea  of  visiting  the  soothsayer.  Before 
sundown  he  was  on  his  way  to  the  south,  accompanied 
by  several  faithful  henchmen.  Carrying  a  long  iron- 
wood  staff,  he  moved  on  with  unwonted  agility ;  it  was 
very  dark,  and  the  path  difficult  to  follow,  when  he 
finally  consented  to  bivouac  for  the  night.  The  next 
morning  found  him  so  stiff  that  he  could  hardly  clam- 
ber to  his  feet.     His  henchmen  assisted  him,  though 


300  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

they  begged  him  to  rest  for  a  day.  But  his  will  forced 
him  on;  he  wanted  to  be  verile  and  win  the  beautiful 
Annapalpateu. 

The  journey,  which  consumed  a  week,  cost  the  aged 
Strephon  a  world  of  effort.  But  as  he  had  been 
indefatigable  in  his  youth,  he  was  determined  to  reach 
the  wise  man's  headquarters  walking  like  a  warrior,  and 
not  carried  there  on  a  litter  like  an  old  woman.  Bravely 
he  forged  ahead,  his  aching  joints  paining  miserably, 
until  at  length  he  came  in  sight  of  his  Promised  Land. 

The  soothsayer,  who  had  been  apprised  of  his  coming 
by  a  dream,  was  in  front  of  his  substantial  lodge-house 
to  greet  him.  Seldom  had  he  received  a  more  distin- 
guished client  than  Wisamek,  so  he  welcomed  him  with 
marked  courtesy  and  deference. 

After  the  first  formalities,  the  old  chief,  who  had 
restrained  himself  with  difficulty,  asked  how  he  could 
be  restored  to  a  youthful  condition,  so  that  he  could 
rightfully  marry  a  beautiful  maiden  of  eighteen  sum- 
mers. The  wise  man,  who  had  encountered  similar 
supplicants  in  the  past,  informed  him  that  the  task  was 
a  comparatively  easy  one.  It  would  involve,  however, 
however,  first  drinking  the  waters  of  the  Warm 
Springs  (in  what  is  now  Perry  County),  then  another 
journey  across  mountains. 

Wisamek  shouted  for  joy  when  he  heard  these  words, 
and  impatiently  demanded  where  he  would  have  to  go 
to  be  finally  restored  to  youth. 

"Across  many  high  mountain  ranges,  across  many 
broad  valleys,  across  many  swift  streams,  through  a 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  301 

country  covered  with  dark  forests  and  filled  with  wild 
beasts,  to  the  northwest  of  here,  is  a  wonderful  cavern. 
In  it  rises  a  deep  stream  of  greenish  color,  clear  as 
crystal,  the  fountain  of  youth.  At  its  heading  you  will 
find  a  very  old  man,  Gamunk,  who  knows  the  formula. 
Give  him  this  talisman,  and  he  will  allow  you  to  bathe 
in  the  marvelous  waters  and  be  young  again." 

With  the  final  words  he  handed  Wisamek  a  red 
bear's  tooth,  on  which  was  cleverly  carved  the  form 
of  an  athletic  youth.  The  old  chief's  hands  trembled 
so  much  that  he  almost  dropped  the  precious  fetich. 
But  he  soon  recovered  his  self-control  and  thanked  the 
wise  man.  Then  he  ordered  his  henchmen  to  give  the 
soothsayer  gifts,  which  they  did,  loading  him  with 
beads,  pottery,  wampum  and  rare  furs. 

Despite  the  invitation  to  remain  until  he  was  com- 
pletely rested,  Wisamek  determined  to  depart  at  once 
for  the  warm  springs  and  the  fountain  of  youth.  He 
drank  the  warm  water  copiously,  enjoying  the  beautiful 
surroundings  at  the  springs.  He  was  so  stimulated  by 
his  high  hope  and  the  mineral  waters  that  he  climbed 
the  steep  ridges,  crossed  the  turbulent  streams  and  put 
up  with  the  other  inconveniences  of  the  long  m»\rch 
much  better  than  might  have  been  the  case.  During 
the  entire  journey  he  sang  Indian  love  songs,  strains 
which  had  not  passed  his  lips  in  thirty  years. 

His  followers,  gossiping  among  themselves,  declared 
that  he  looked  better  already.  Perhaps  he  would  not 
have  to  bathe  in  the  fountain  after  all.     He  might  re- 


302  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

sume  his  youth,  because  he  willed  it  so.     Indians  were 
strong  believers  in  the  power  of  mind  over  matter. 

When  he  reached  the  vicinity  of  the  cave  he  was 
fortunate  enough  to  meet  the  aged  Indian  who  was  its 
guardian.  Though  his  hair  was  snow  white  and  he 
said  he  was  so  old  that  he  had  lost  count  of  the  years, 
Gamunk's  carriage  was  erect,  his  complexion  smooth, 
his  eyes  clear  and  kindly.  He  walked  along  with  a 
swinging  stride,  very  different  from  Wisamek's  men- 
tal picture  of  him.  The  would-be  bridegroom,  who 
handed  him  the  talisman,  was  quick  to  impart  his  mis- 
sion to  his  new-found  friend. 

"It  is  true,"  he  replied,  "after  a  day  and  a  night's 
immersion  in  the  cave's  water  you  will  emerge  with  all 
the  appearance  of  youth.  There  is  absolutely  no  doubt 
of  it.     Thousands  have  been  here  before." 

With  these  reassuring  words  Wisamek  again  leaped 
for  joy,  gyrating  like  a  young  brave  at  a  cantico. 

The  party,  accompanied  by  the  old  guardian,  quickly 
arrived  at  the  cave's  main  opening,  where  beneath  them 
lay  stretched  the  calm,  mirror-like  expanse  of  greenish 
water. 

"Can  I  begin  the  bath  now?"  asked  the  chief,  impa- 
tiently. "I  am  anxious  to  throw  off  the  odious  appear- 
ance of  age." 

"Immediately,"  replied  the  old  watchman,  who  took 
him  by  the  hand,  leading  to  the  ledge  where  it  was  high- 
est above  the  water.  "Jump  off  here,"  he  said  quietly. 
Wisamek,  who  had  been  a  great  swimmer  in  his  youth 
and  was  absolutely  fearless  of  the  water,  replied  that 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  303 

he  would  do  so.  "But  remember  you  must  remain  in 
the  water  without  food  until  this  hour  tomorrow,"  said 
the  guardian. 

As  he  leaped  into  the  watery  depths  the  chief  shouted 
he  would  remain  twice  as  long  if  he  could  be  young 
again.  Wisamek  was  true  to  his  instructions ;  there 
was  too  much  at  stake;  he  dared  not  falter. 

The  next  morning  his  henchmen  were  at  the  cave's 
mouth  to  greet  his  reappearance.  They  were  startled  to 
see,  climbing  up  the  ledge  with  alacrity,  a  tall  and  hand- 
some man,  as  young  looking  as  themselves.  There  was 
a  smile  on  the  full,  red  lips,  a  twinkle  in  the  clear  eye 
of  the  re-made  warrior  as  he  stood  among  them,  physi- 
cally a  prince  among  men. 

The  homeward  journey  was  made  with  rapidity. 
Wisamek  traveled  so  fast  that  he  played  out  his  hench- 
men who  were  half  his  age. 

Annapalpeteu,  who  was  seated  in  front  of  her  pa- 
rents' cabin  weaving  a  garment,  noticed  a  youth  of 
great  physical  beauty  approaching,  at  the  head  of  Chief 
Wisamek's  clansmen.  She  wondered  who  he  could  be, 
as  he  wore  Wisamek's  headdress  of  feathers  of  the 
osprey  or  "sea  eagle."  When  he  drew  near  he  saluted 
her,  and,  not  giving  her  time  to  answer,  joyfully  shout- 
ed: "Don't  you  recognize  me?  I  am  your  good  friend 
Wisamek,  come  back  to  win  your  love,  after  a  refresh- 
ing journey  through  the  distant  forests.." 

Annapalpeteu,  who  was  a  sensible  enough  girl  to 
have  admired  the  great  warrior  for  his  prowess,  even 
though  she  had  never  thought  of  him  seriously  as  a 


304  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

lover,  was  now  instantly  smitten  by  his  engaging  ap- 
pearance. The  henchmen  withdrew,  leaving  the  couple 
together.  They  made  marked  progress  with  their  ro- 
mance ;  words  of  love  were  mentioned  before  they 
parted. 

It  was  not  long  before  the  betrothal  was  announced, 
followed  shortly  by  the  wedding  festival.  At  the  nup- 
tials the  bridegroom's  appearance  was  the  marvel  of  all 
present.  It  was  hinted  that  he  had  been  somewhere 
and  renewed  his  youth,  but  as  the  henchmen  were 
sworn  to  secrecy,  how  it  had  been  done  was  not  re- 
vealed. 

The  young  bride  seemed  radiantly  happy.  She  had 
every  reason  to  be;  the  other  Indian  maids  whispered 
from  lip  to  lip,  was  she  not  marrying  the  greatest  war- 
rior and  hunter  of  his  generation,  the  handsomest  man 
in  a  hundred  tribes?  Secretly  envied  by  all  of  her  age, 
possessing  her  stalwart  prize,  the  fair  bride  started  on 
her  honeymoon,  showered  with  acorns  and  good  wishes. 

So  far  as  is  known  the  wedding  trip  passed  off  bliss- 
fully. There  were  smiles  on  the  bright  faces  of  both 
bride  and  groom  when  they  returned  to  their  spacious 
new  lodge-house,  which  the  tribe  had  erected  for  them 
in  their  absence,  by  the  banks  of  the  sparkling  Bo- 
hundy.  But  the  course  of  life  did  not  run  smoothly 
for  the  pair.  Though  outwardly  Wisamek  was  the 
handsomest  and  most  youthful-looking  of  men,  he  was 
still  an  old  man  at  heart.  Annapalpeteu  was  as  pleas- 
ure-loving as  she  was  beautiful.  She  wanted  to  dance 
and   sing  and   mingle   with   youthful   company.      She 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  305 

wanted  her  good  time  in  life;  her  joy  of  living  was  at 
its  height,  her  sense  of  enjoyment  at  its  zenith. 

On  the  other  hand,  Wisamek  hated  all  forms  of 
gaieties  or  youthful  amusements.  He  wanted  to  sit 
about  the  lodge-house  in  the  sun,  telling  of  his  warlike 
triumphs  of  other  days ;  he  wanted  to  sleep  much,  he 
hated  noise  and  excitement. 

Annapalpeteu,  dutiful  wife  that  she  was,  tried  to 
please  him,  but  in  due  course  of  time  both  husband  and 
wife  realized  that  romance  was  dying,  that  they  were 
drifting  apart.  Wisamek  was  even  more  aware  of  it 
than  his  wife.  It  worried  him  greatly,  his  dreams  were 
of  an  unhappy  nature.  He  pictured  the  end  of  the  trail, 
with  his  wife,  Annapalpeteu,  in  love  with  some  one  else 
of  her  own  age,  some  one  whose  heart  was  young.  He 
had  spells  of  moodiness  and  irritability,  as  well  as  sev- 
eral serious  quarrels  with  his  wife,  whom  he  accused  of 
caring  less  for  him  than  formerly. 

The  relations  became  so  strained  that  life  in  the 
commodious  lodge-house  was  unbearable.  At  length  it 
occurred  to  Wisamek  that  he  might  again  visit  the 
fountain  of  youth,  this  time  to  revive  his  souf.  Per- 
haps he  had  not  remained  in  the  water  long  enough  to 
touch  the  spirit  within.  He  informed  his  spouse  that 
he  was  going  on  a  long  journey  on  invitation  of  the  war 
chief  of  a  distant  tribe,  and  that  she  must  accompany 
him.  He  was  insanely  jealous  of  her  now.  He  could 
not  bear  her  out  of  his  sight.  He  imagined  she  had  a 
young  lover  back  of  every  tree,  though  she  was  honor 
personified. 


306  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

The  trip  was  made  pleasantly  enough,  as  the  husband 
was  in  better  spirits  than  usual.  Annapalpeteu  en- 
joyed the  waters  of  the  warm  springs,  would  liked  to 
have  tarried.  He  thought  he  saw  the  surcease  of  his 
troubles  ahead  of  him ! 

When  he  reached  the  Beaver  Dam  Meadows,  at  the 
foot  of  Egg  Hill,  near  the  site  of  the  present  town  of 
Spring  Mills,  beautiful  level  flats  which  in  those  days 
were  a  favorite  camping  ground  for  the  red  men,  he 
requested  the  beautiful  Annapalpeteu  to  remain  there 
for  a  few  days,  that  he  was  going  through  a  hostile 
country,  he  would  not  jeopardize  her  safety.  He  was 
going  on  an  important  mission  that  would  make  her 
love  him  more  than  ever  when  he  returned.  In  reality 
no  unfriendly  Indians  were  about,  but  in  order  to  give 
a  look  of  truth  to  his  story  he  left  her  in  charge  of  a 
strong  bodyguard. 

Wisamek's  conduct  of  late  had  been  so  peculiar  that 
his  wife  was  not  sorry  to  see  her  lord  and  master  go 
away.  Handsome  though  he  was,  a  spiritual  barrier 
had  arisen  between  them  which  grew  more  insurmount- 
able with  each  succeeding  day.  Yet,  on  this  occasion, 
when  he  was  out  of  her  sight,  she  felt  apprehensive 
about  him.  She  had  a  strange  presentiment  that  she 
would  never  see  him  again. 

Wisamek  was  filled  with  hopes ;  his  spirits  had  never 
been  higher,  as  he  strode  along,  followed  by  his  hench- 
men. When  he  reached  the  top  of  the  path  which  led 
to  the  mouth  of  the  enchanted  cave,  he  met  old  Gamunk, 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  307 

the  guardian.  The  aged  redman  expressed  surprise  at 
seeing  him  again. 

I  have  come  for  a  very  peculiar  reason,"  he  said. 
"The  bath  which  I  took  last  year  outwardly  made  me 
young,  but  only  outwardly.  Within  I  am  as  withered 
and  joyless  as  a  centenarian.  I  want  to  bathe  once 
more,  to  try  to  revive  the  old  light  in  my  soul." 

Gamunk  shook  his  head.  "You  may  succeed ;  I 
hope  you  will.  I  never  heard  of  any  one  daring  to  take 
a  second  bath  in  these  waters.  The  tradition  of  the 
hereditary  guardians,  of  whom  I  am  the  hundredth  in 
direct  succession,  has  it  that  it  would  be  fatal  to  take  a 
second  immersion,  especially  to  remain  in  the  water  for 
twenty-four  hours." 

Then  he  asked  Wisamek  for  the  talisman  which  gave 
him  the  right  to  bathe.  Wisamek  drew  himself  up 
proudly,  and,  with  a  gesture  of  his  hand  indicating  dis- 
dain, said  he  had  no  talisman,  that  he  would  bathe  any- 
how. He  advanced  to  the  brink  and  plunged  in.  Until 
the  same  hour  the  next  day  he  floated  and  paddled 
about  the  greenish  depths,  filled  with  expectancy.  For 
some  reason  it  seemed  longer  this  time  than  on  the  pre- 
vious visit. 

At  last,  by  the  light  which  filtered  down  through  the 
treetops  at  the  cave's  mouth,  he  knew  that  the  hour 
had  come  for  him  to  emerge — emerge  as  Chief  Wisamek 
— young  in  heart  as  in  body.  Proudly  he  grasped  the 
rocky  ledge  and  swung  himself  out  on  dry  land.  He 
arose  to  his  feet.  His  head  seemed  very  light  and 
giddy.    He  fancied  he  saw  visions  of  his  old  conquests, 


308  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

old  loves.  There  was  the  sound  of  music  in  the  air. 
Was  it  the  martial  drums,  played  to  welcome  the  con- 
queror, or  the  wind  surging  through  the  feathery  tops 
of  the  maple  and  linden  trees  at  the  mouth  of  the  cave? 
He  started  to  climb  the  steep  path.  He  seemed  to  be 
treading  the  air.  Was  it  the  buoyant  steps  of  youth 
come  again?  He  seemed  to  float  rather  than  walk. 
The  sunlight  blinded  his  eyes.  Suddenly  he  had  a 
flash  of  normal  consciousness.  He  dropped  to  the 
ground  with  a  thud  like  an  old  pine  falling.  Then  all 
was  blackness,  silence.  Jaybirds  complaining  in  the 
treetops  alone  broke  the  stillness. 

His  bodyguards,  who  were  waiting  for  him  at  old 
Gamunk's  lodge-house,  close  to  where  the  hotel  now 
stands,  became  impatient  at  his  non-appearance,  as  the 
hour  was  past.  Accompanied  by  the  venerable  watch- 
man they  started  down  the  path.  To  their  horror  they 
saw  the  dead  body  of  a  hideous,  wrinkled  old  man,  all 
skin  and  bones,  like  a  desiccated  mummy,  lying  stretched 
out  across  it,  a  few  steps  from  the  entrance  to  the  cave. 
When  they  approached  closely  they  noticed  several  fa- 
miliar tattoo  marks  on  the  forehead,  which  identified 
the  body  as  that  of  their  late  master,  Wisamek. 

Frightened  lest  they  would  be  accused  of  his  murder, 
and  shocked  by  his  altered  appearance,  the  bodyguards 
turned  and  took  to  their  heels.  They  disappeared  in 
the  trackless  forests  to  the  north  and  were  never  seen 
again. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


309 


Old  Gamunk,  out  of  pity  for  the  vain-glorious  chief- 
tain, buried  the  remains  by  the  path  near  where  he  fell. 
As  for  poor  Annapalpeteu,  the  beautiful,  she  waited 
patiently  for  many  days  by  the  Beaver  Dam,  but  her 
waiting  was  in  vain.  At  length,  concluding  that  he  had 
been  slain  in  battle  in  some  valorous  encounter,  she 
started  for  her  old  home  on  the  Bohundy. 

It  is  related  that  on  the  way  she  met  and  married  a 
warrior  of  her  own  age,  living  happily  ever  afterwards 
in  a  comfortable  cabin  somewhere  in  the  majestic 
Bower  Mountains.  In  him  she  found  the  loving  re- 
sponse, the  congeniality  of  pleasures  which  had  been 
denied  the  dried,  feeble  soul  of  Wisamek,  who  bathed 
too  often  in  the  fountain  of  youth. 


XXIII. 

Compensations 

IT  seemed  that  Andrew  McMeans  and  Oscar  Wel- 
lendorf  were  born  to  be  engaged  in  rivarly,  al- 
though judging  by  their  antecedents,  the  former 
was  in  a  class  beyond,  McMeans  being  well-born,  of 
old  Scotch-Irish  stock,  a  valuable  asset  on  the  Allegh- 
eny. Wellendorf,  of  Pennsylvania  Dutch  origin,  of 
people  coming  from  one  of  the  eastern  counties,  was 
consequently  rated  much  lower  socially,  had  much  more 
to  overcome  in  the  way  of  life's  obstacles.  The  boys 
were  almost  of  school  age;  Wellendorf,  if  anything, 
was  a  month  or  two  older.  In  school  in  Hickory  Val- 
ley neither  was  a  brilliant  scholar,  but  they  were  evenly 
matched,  and  although  not  aspiring  to  lead  their 
classes,  felt  a  keen  rivalry  between  one  another. 

When  school  days  were  over,  and  they  took  to  raft- 
ing as  the  most  obvious  occupation  in  the  locality,  their 
rivalries  as  to  who  could  run  a  fleet  quickest  to  Pitts- 
burg, and  come  back  for  another,  was  the  talk  of  the 
river.  In  love  it  was  not  different,  and  despite  the 
talk  in  McMean's  family  that  he  should  marry  Anna 
McNamor.  daughter  of  his  father's  life-long  friend, 
Tabor  McNamor,  the  girl  showed  an  open  preference 
for  Oscar  Wellendorf. 

The  old  Scotch-Irish  families  were,  as  the  London 
Times  said  in  commenting  on  some  of  the  character- 

310 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  311 

istics  of  tKe  late  Senator  Quay  (inherited  from  his 
mother,  born  Stanley)  "clannish  to  degree,"  and 
Anna's  "people"  were  equally  anxious  that  she  marry 
one  of  her  own  stock,  and  not  ally  herself  with  the 
despised  and  socially  insignificant  "Dutch".  Old 
Grandmother  McClinton  called  attention  to  the  fact 
that  the  headstrong  beauty  was  not  without  a  strain 
of  "Dutch"  blood  herself,  for  her  great,  great  grand- 
mother had  been  none  other  than  the  winsome  Madelon 
Ury,  a  Swiss-Huguenot  girl  of  Berks  County,  who, 
when  surprised  in  the  field  hoeing  corn  by  a  blood- 
thirsty Indian,  had  dropped  her  hoe  and  taken  to  her 
heels.  She  ran  so  fast  over  the  soft  ground  that  she 
would  have  escaped  her  moccasined  pursuer  had  she 
not  taken  time  to  cross  a  stone  fence.  This  gave  the 
red  man  the  chance  to  throw  his  tomahawk,  striking 
her  in  the  neck,  and  she  fell  face  downward  over  the 
wall.  Just  as  her  foe  was  overtaking  her,  Martin 
McClinton,  a  sword  maker  from  Lancaster,  who  was 
passing  along  the  Shamokin  trail  en  route  to  deliver  a 
sabre  to  Colonel  Conrad  Weiser,  at  Heidelberg,  rushed 
to  her  rescue  and  shot  down  the  Indian,  so  that  he  fell 
dead  across  his  fair  victim. 

McClinton  extricated  the  tomahawk  from  her  neck, 
bound  up  the  wound  with  his  own  neckerchief  and  car- 
ried her  to  her  parent's  home,  near  the  Falling  Springs. 
He  remained  until  the  wound  healed,  when  he  married 
her.     Later  the  pair  migrated  west  of  the  Alleghenies. 

Madelon  McClinton  was  very  dark,  with  an  oval  face 
and  aquiline  features,  possibly  having  had  a  strain  of 


312  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Pennsylvania  Jewish  blood  to  account  for  her  brunette 
type  of  beauty.  She  always  wore  a  red  scarf  wrapped 
about  her  neck,  being  proud  and  sensitive  of  the  ugly 
long  white  scar  left  by  the  Indian's  weapon. 

This  ancestress,  so  Grandmother  McClinton  thought, 
was  responsible  for  Anna's  affinity  for  the  rather  pro- 
saic Dutchman  Wellendorf.  Although  the  girl  was 
open  in  her  preference  for  Oscar,  she  did  not  make  a 
decision  as  to  matrimony  for  some  time.  When  Wel- 
lendorf was  absent,  she  was  nicer  to  McMeans  than 
anyone  else.  However,  if  Oscar  appeared  on  the 
scene,  she  had  eyes  and  ears  for  no  other. 

On  one  occaison  when  the  two  young  men  started 
down  the  river  on  their  rafts,  proudly  standing  at  the 
steering  oars  in  the  rear,  for  the  Allegheny  pilots  rode 
at  the  back  of  the  rafts,  whereas  those  on  the  Sus- 
quehanna were  always  at  the  front.  Anna  was  at  the 
water's  edge,  under  a  huge  buttonwood  tree — or,  as 
Wellendorf  called  it  in  the  breezy  vernacular  of  the 
Pennslvania  Dutch,  a  "wasserpitcher" — and  waved  a 
red  kerchief  impartially  at  both. 

McMean's  raft  on  this  trip  was  of  "pig  iron",  that 
is  impeded  hemlock  logs,  as  heavy  as  lead,  and  became 
submerged  when  he  had  only  gotten  as  far  as  the  mouth 
of  French  Creek.  He  had  to  run  ashore  to  try  and 
devise  ways  and  means  to  save  it  from  sinking  alto- 
gether, while  Wellendorf  floated  along  serenely  on 
his  raft  of  white  pine,  and  was  to  Pittsburg  and  back 
home  before  McMeans  ever  reached  the  "Smoky  City." 

"Of  the  forest  on  the  Allegheny  River,"  John  C. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  313 

French  tells  us,  "White  Pine  (pinus  strobus)  was 
King,  and  his  dusky  Queen  was  a  beautiful  Wild 
Cherry,  lovely  as  Queen  Alliquippa  of  the  redmen. 
Rafting  lumber  from  Warren  County  began  about 
1800,  and  it  reached  its  maximum  in  the  decade,  1830 
to  1840.  The  early  history  of  Warren  County  abounds 
in  very  interesting  incidents,  along  the  larger  Allegh- 
eny River,  from  rafts  of  pine  lumber  assembled  to 
couple  up  for  Pittsburg  fleets. 

"After  the  purchase  of  Louisiana,  in  1804,  the  hardy 
lumbermen  decided  to  extend  their  markets  for  pine 
beyond  Pittsburg,  Wheeling,  Cincinnati  and  Louis- 
ville— to  go,  in  fact,  to  New  Orleans  with  pine  and 
cherry  lumber.  So  large  boats  were  built  in  the  win- 
ter of  1805  and  1806  at  many  mills.  Seasoned  lum- 
ber of  the  best  quality  was  loaded  into  the  flat  boats 
and  they  untied  on  April  1,  1806,  for  the  run  of  two 
thousand  miles,  bordered  by  forests  to  the  river's  edge. 

"It  was  in  defiance  to  'All  Fools'  Day',  but  they 
went  through  and  sold  both  lumber  and  boats.  For 
clear  pine  lumber,  $40.00  was  the  price  per  one  thou- 
sand feet  received  at  New  Orleans — just  double  the 
Pittsburg  price  at  that  date.  For  three  years  there- 
after the  mills  of  Warren  County  sent  boats  to  New 
Orleans  loaded  with  lumber,  and  the  men  returned  on 
foot.  Joseph  Mead,  Abraham  Davis  and  John  Watt 
took  boats  through  in  1807,  coming  back  via  Philadel- 
phia on  coastal  sailing  ships. 

"The  pilots  and  men  returned  by  river  boats  or  on 
foot,  as  they  best  could.     The  markets  along  the  Ohio 


314  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

from  Pittsburg  to  St.  Louis  soon  took  all  the  lumber 
from  the  Allegheny  mills,  and  the  longer  trips  were 
gladly  discontinued. 

"It  was  in  1850  that  there  came  the  first  lumber 
famine  at  Pittsburg.  Owing  to  the  low  price  of  lum- 
ber and  an  unfavorable  winter  for  the  forest  work, 
few  rafts  of  lumber  and  board  timber  went  down  the 
Allegheny  on  the  spring  freshets,  but  the  November 
floods  brought  one  hundred  rafts  that  sold  for  more 
favorable  prices  than  had  previously  prevailed.  Clear 
pine  lumber  sold  readily  for  $18.00  and  common  pine 
lumber  for  $9.00  per  one  thousand  feet. 

"The  renown  of  these  prices  stimulated  lumbering 
on  the  Allegheny  headwaters  and  the  larger  creeks.  So 
the  demand  for  lumber  was  supplied  and  the  railroads 
soon  began  to  bring  lumber  from  many  sawmills. 
The  board  timber  was  hewed  on  four  sides,  so  there 
were  only  five  inches  of  wane  on  each  of  the  four 
corners.  These  rafts  of  round-square  timber  were  sold 
by  square  feet  to  Pittsburg  sawmills. 

"Rafts  of  pine  boards  at  headwater  mills  were  made 
up  of  platforms,  16  feet  square  and  from  18  to  25 
courses  thick,  0  pins  or  "grubs"  holding  boards  in  place 
as  rafted.  Four  or  five  platforms  were  coupled  in 
tandem  with  8  feet  "cribs"  at  each  joint,  making  an 
elastic  piece  73  feet  or  92  feet  long  for  a  4  or  5  plat- 
form piece  as  the  case  might  be,  1 6  feet  wide. 

"At  Larrabee  or  at  Millgrove  four  of  these  pieces 
were  coupled  into  a  Warren  fleet,  32  feet  wide,  149 
feet  or  187  feet  long. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  315 

"Four  Warren  pieces  or  fleets  were  put  together  at 
Warren  to  make  up  a  Pittsburg  fleet.  At  Pittsburg 
four  or  more  Pittsburg  fleets  were  coupled  to  make 
an  Ohio  River  fleet.  Some  became  very  large,  often 
covering  nearly  two  acres  of  surface,  containing  about 
1,500,000  feet  of  lumber  at  Cincinnatti  or  at  Louis- 
ville. They  each  had  a  hut  for  sheltering  the  men 
and  for  cooking  their  food.  They  often  ran  all  night 
on  the  Ohio.  To  find  where  the  shore  was  on  a  very 
dark  night,  the  men  would  throw  potatoes,  judging 
from  the  sound  how  far  away  the  river  bank  was  and 
of  their  safe  or  dangerous  position.  These  men  were 
of  rugged  bodies  and  of  daring  minds. 

"A  small  piece,  in  headwaters  and  creeks,  had  an  oar 
or  sweep  at  each  end  of  the  piece  to  steer  the  raft  with. 
Each  oar  usually  had  two  men  to  pull  it.  An  oar-stem 
was  from  28  to  35  feet  long,  8"  by  8",  and  tapered 
to  4"  by  V,  shaved  to  round  hand-hold  near  the  end 
toward  center  of  raft.  The  oar  blade  was  12',  14/ 
or  16'  long,  and  18"  to  20"  wide,  a  pine  plank,  4" 
thick  at  the  oar-stem  socket,  and  1"  thick  at  the  out- 
end,  tapered  its  whole  length. 

"There  were  other  sizes  of  stem  and  blade,  but  the 
above  indicates  the  power  that  guided  a  raft  of  lumber 
along  the  flood-tides,  crooked  streams,  and  over  a 
dozen  mill  dams  to  the  broader  river  below. 

"From  the  Allegheny  boats  or  scows,  30  feet  long 
and  11  feet  wide,  carried  loads  of  baled  hay,  butter, 
eggs  and  other  farm  produce  to  the  oil  fields  of 
Venango  County  in  the  '60's,  sold  there  and  took  oil 


316  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

in  barrels  to  the  refinery  at  Pittsburg.     Then  sold  the 
scows  to  carry  coal  or  goods  down  the  Ohio. 

"Mr.  Westerman  built  five  boats  at  Roulette  about 
1870,  40  feet  long  and  12  feet  wide,  loaded  them 
with  lumber  and  shingles  and  started  for  Pittsburg, 
but  the  boats  were  too  long  for  the  dams  and  broke 
up  at  Burtville,  the  first  dam. 

"Much  of  the  pine  timber  of  the  west  half  of  Pot- 
ter county  was  cut  in  sawlogs  and  sent  to  mills  at 
Millgrove  and  Weston's  in  log  drives  down  the  river 
and  Oswayo  Creek  into  the  State  of  New  York.  The 
lumber  was  shipped  via  the  Genesee  Valley  Canal  to 
Albany  and'  New  York  City  and  other  points  on  the 
Hudson  River. 

"The  first  steamboat  to  steam  up  the  river  from 
Warren  was  in  1830.  It  was  built  by  Archibald  Tan- 
ner, Warren's  first  merchant,  and  David  Dick  and 
others  of  Meadville.  It  was  built  in  Pittsburg;  the 
steamer  was  called  Allegheny.  It  went  to  Olean,  re- 
turned and  went  out  of  commission. 

"The  late  Major  D.  W.  C.  James  furnished  the  inci- 
dent of  the  Allegheny  voyage.  A  story  was  told  by 
James  Follett  regarding  the  trip  of  the  Allegheny 
from  Wrarren,  which  illustrates  the  lack  of  speed  of 
steamboats  on  the  river  at  that  early  day. 

"While  the  steamer  was  passing  the  Indian  reserva- 
tion, some  twenty  odd  miles  above  Warren,  the  famous 
chief,  Cornplanter,  paddled  his  canoe  out  to  the  ves- 
sel and  actually  paddled  his  small  craft  up  stream  and 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  317 

around  the  Allegheny,  the  old  chief  giving  a  vigorous 
war  hoop  as  he  accomplished  the  proud  feat. 

"Chief  Cornplanter,  alias  John  Q'Bail,  first  took  his 
young  men  to  Clarion  County,  about  1795,  to  learn 
the  method  of  lumbering,  and  in  1796  he  built  a  saw- 
mill on  Jenneseedaga  Creek,  later  named  Cornplanter 
Run,  in  Warren  County,  and  rafted  lumber  down  the 
Allehgeny  to  Pittsburg  for  many  years. 

"Many  tributary  streams,  such  as  Clarion,  Tionesta 
and  Oswayo,  contributed  rafts  each  year  to  make  up 
the  fleets  that  descended  the  Allegheny  River  from 
1796  to  1874,  our  rafting  days. 

"We  must  mention  the  Hotel  Boyer,  on  the 
Duquesne  Way,  on  the  Allegheny  River  bank,  near  the 
"Point"  at  Pittsburg,  where  the  raftsmen  and  the  lum- 
bermen foregathered,  traded,  ate  and  drank  together, 
after  each  trip.  Indians  were  good  pilots,  but  must 
be  kept  sober  on  the  rafts.  'Bootleggers'  along  the 
river  often  ran  boats  out  to  the  rafts  and  relieved  the 
droughty  crews  by  dispensing  bottles  of  'red-eye' 
from  the  long  tops  of  the  boots  they  wore." 

Of  the  big  trees  in  the  Allegheny  country,  Dr.  J.  T. 
Rothrock,  "Father  of  Pennsylvania  Forestry,"  has 
said:  "About  1860,  when  I  was  with  a  crew  survey- 
ing the  line  for  the  Sunbury  &  Erie  Railroad,  we  had 
some  difficulty  in  getting  away  from  a  certain  loca- 
tion. A  preliminary  line  came  in  conflict  with  an  enor- 
mous original  white  pine  tree,  and  the  transitman 
shouted  'cut  down  that  tree'.  After  it  was  felled 
another  nearby  was  found  to  be  in  the  way,  and  was 


318  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ordered  out.  The  stump  of  the  first  tree,  four  feet 
above  the  ground  measured  6  feet,  3  inches  in  diam- 
eter; of  the  second  tree  a  trifle  over  G  feet  .  Such  was 
the  wastefulness  of  the  day." 

As  soon  as  Oscar  returned  he  saw  Anna  forthwith. 
She  was  in  a  particularly  pliant  mood,  and  in  response 
to  his  direct  question  if  she  would  marry  him,  replied 
she  would,  and  the  couple  boarded  the  train  at  War- 
ren for  Buffalo  City,  where  they  were  married. 

When  Andrew  McMeans  came  back  from  his  pro- 
tracted expedition  they  were  already  home  from  their 
honeymoon,  and  residing  with  the  elder  McXamors  in 
the  big  brick  house,  overlooking  the  Bend.  Andrew 
McMeans  felt  his  jilting  deeply;  it  was  the  first  time 
that  any  real  disappointment  had  come  in  the  twenty- 
one  years  of  his  life;  he  had  imagined  that,  despite 
her  predilection  for  Wellendorf,  he  would  yet  win 
her,  and  his  pride  as  well  as  his  heart  was  lacerated. 
Outwardly  he  revealed  little,  but  inwardly  a  peculiar 
melancholy  such  as  he  had  never  felt  before  over- 
came him,  and  like  Lincoln,  after  the  death  of  Ann 
Rutledge,  he  realized  that  he  must  either  "die  or  get 
better." 

Anna  seemed  happy  enough  in  her  new  life,  and 
liked  to  flaunt  her  devotion  to  Oscar  whenever  her 
rejected  lover  was  about.  Ordinarily  this  might  have 
wounded  him  still  deeper,  but  he  was  absorbing  fresh 
anxieties,  reading  Herbert  Spencer,  whose  abominable 
agnosticism  soon  wrecked  his  faith,  and  bereft  of  love 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  319 

and   the   solace  of    immortality,   he   became    the   most 
wretched  of  men. 

It  was  five  years  after  Anna's  elopement,  and  when 
she  was  twenty-one  years  old,  that  one  morning  she 
started  for  Endeavor  to  get  the  mail  and  make  some 
purchases  at  the  country  store.  It  was  a  cold,  raw 
day  in  the  early  spring,  and  the  wild  pigeons  were 
flying.  The  beechwoods  on  both  sides  of  the  road 
were  alive  with  gunners,  old  and  young.  Some  one 
fired  a  shot  which  hurtled  close  to  the  nose  of  the 
old  loan  family  horse,  a  track  horse  in  his  day,  and 
he  took  the  bit  in  his  teeth  and  ran  away  madly,  with 
the  buggy  careening  after  him.  Anna,  standing  up  in 
the  vehicle,  was  sawing  on  the  lines  until  he  crashed 
into  a  big  ash  tree  and  fractured  the  poor  girl's  skull. 
She  was  picked  up  by  some  of  the  hunters  and  carried 
home  unconscious  the  next  thing  was  to  get  the 
news  to  her  husband.  Oscar  at  that  time  had  just 
finished  a  raft  on  West  Hickory  Creek,  while  his  old 
time  rival,  McMeans,  was  completing  one  on  East 
Hickory,  which  stream  flowed  into  ''The  Beautiful 
River",  almost  directly  opposite  to  the  West  Hickory 
Run. 

About  the  moment  that  Anna  received  her  cruel 
death  stroke,  the  two  rafts  were  being  launched  simul- 
taneously, with  much  cheering  on  both  banks,  for  par- 
tisanship ran  high  among  dwellers  on  either  side  of 
the  river.  Members  of  the  family  hurried  to  the 
river  side  to  watch  for  the  Wellendorf  raft,  to  "head 
him  off"  before  it  was  too  late.     It  was  several  hours 


320  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

after  the  accident  when  the  two  rival  rafts,  with  the 
stalwart  young  pilots  a  the  sterns,  swept  around  the 
Bend,  traveling  "nip  and  tuck".  It  promised  to  be  an 
evenly  matched  race,  barring  accidents,  clear  to  Pitts- 
burg. The  skippers  of  the  contending  yachts  for  the 
American  Cup  could  not  have  been  more  enthused  for 
their  races  than  were  Andrew  McMeans  and  Oscar 
Wellendorf. 

In  front  of  the  McNamor  homestead  several  women 
were  to  be  seen  running  up  and  down  the  grassy  sward, 
frantially  waving  red  and  green  shawls.  What  could 
they  mean?  They  were  so  vehement  that  Oscar 
divined  something  was  wrong,  and  steered  ashore,  fol- 
lowed by  McMeans,  who,  noting  the  absence  of  Anna 
from  the  signaling  part,  feared  that  a  mishap  had 
befallen  her. 

Both  young  men  jumped  ashore  almost  simultan- 
eously, leaving  their  rafts  to  their  helpers.  The  worst 
had  happened — Anna  was  in  the  house  with  a  frac- 
tured skull,  and  the  dotors  said  she  could  not  live  the 
night.  If  anything,  McMeans  turned  the  paler  of 
the  two.  The  men  said  little  as  they  followed  the 
women  up  the  boardwalk  to  the  house. 

That  night  McMeans,  who  asked  to  be  allowed  to 
remain  until  the  outome  of  the  case,  for  the  river  had 
lost  its  attractions,  was  sitting  in  the  kitchen  with 
Grandmother  McClinton.  The  raw  air  had  blown 
itself  into  a  gale  after  sundown,  and  during  the  night 
the  fierce  wind  beat  about  the  eaves  and  corners  of  the 
house  like  an  avenging  fury.     The  old  tall  clock,  made 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  321 

years  before  by  John  Vanderslice,  of  Reading,  on 
top  of  which  was  a  stuffed  Colishay,  or  gray  fox,  with 
an  uncommonly  fine  brush,  was  striking  twelve.  Amid 
the  storm  a  wailing  voice  joined  in  the  din,  incessantly, 
so  that  there  was  no  mistaking  it,  the  Warning  of  the 
McClintons. 

The  old  grandmother  watched  McMeans  face  until 
she  saw  that  he  understood.  Then  she  nodded  to  him. 
"It  is  strange  how  that  thing  has  followed  the  McClin- 
ton  family  for  hundreds  of  years.  In  Scotland  it  was 
their  'Caointeach',  in  Ireland  their  'Banshee',  in  Penn- 
sylvania their  'Token'  or  'Warning'.     It  never  fails." 

As  McMeans  listened  to  the  terrible  shrieks  of 
anguish,  which  sometimes  drowned  the  storm,  he  shiv- 
ered with  pity  for  the  lost  soul  out  there  in  the  cold, 
giving  the  death  message,  so  melancholy  and  sad,  and 
perhaps  unwillingly.  Anna  lay  upstairs  in  her  room, 
facing  the  river,  or  windward  side  of  the  house,  and 
the  Warning  was  evidently  somewhere  below  her  win- 
dow, where  the  water  in  waves  like  the  sea,  was 
over-running  the  banks. 

On  a  kitchen  chair  still  lay  a  red  Paisley  shawl  that 
had  been  used  to  signal  to  Wellendorf  earlier  in  the 
day.  It  seemed  ample  and  warm.  Picking  it  up, 
McMeans  went  to  the  kitchen  door,  which  he  opened 
with  some  effort  in  the  force  of  the  gale,  and,  walking 
around  the  house,  laid  it  on  one  of  the  benches  at  the 
front  door,  saying,  "Put  on  this  shawl,  and  come  around 
to  the  leeward  side  of  the  house." 

When  he  returned,  he  said  to  Grandmother  McClin- 


322  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ton,  "That  Token's  voice  touched  me  somehow  to- 
night. Something  tells  me  she  hated  her  task,  is  cold 
and  miserable.  I  left  the  shawl  on  the  front  porch 
and  told  her  to  come  out  of  the  wind." 

After  that  they  both  noticed  that  the  unhappy  wail- 
ings  ceased,  there  was  nothing  that  vied  with  the  storm. 

"Perhaps  you  have  laid  her,"  said  Grandmother 
McClinton.     "Anna  may  now  pull  through." 

But  these  words  were  barely  out  of.  her  mouth,  when 
Oscar  Wellendorf,  pale  as  a  ghost,  appeared  in  the 
kitchen  to  say  that  Anna  had  just  passed  away. 
Andrew  felt  her  death  keenly,  but  he  was  also  satis- 
fied that  perhaps  he  had  by  an  act  of  kindness,  removed 
the  Warning  of  the  McClintons.  He  was  more  con- 
vinced when  a  year  later  Anna's  father  joined  the 
majority,  then  her  mother,  with  no  visits  from  the 
mournful-voiced  Warning. 

Five  years  more  rolled  around,  and  Andrew 
McMeans,  still  unmarried,  and  cherishing  steadfastly 
the  memory  of  his  beloved  Anna,  embarked  his  fleet 
for  Pittsburg.  It  was  a  morning  in  the  early  spring, 
the  air  was  soft  and  warm,  and  the  shad  flies  were  flit- 
ting about.  He  arrived  in  safety,  but  was  some  time 
collecting  his  money,  as  he  was  dealing  with  a  scamp, 
and  meanwhile  put  up  at  a  boarding  house  on  the  river 
front,  near  the  Hotel  Boyer.  The  afternoon  after  his 
arrival  he  was  sitting  on  the  porch  of  his  lodgings,  gaz- 
ing out  at  the  rushing,  swirling  river,  which  ran  bank 
full,  on  a  bench  similar  in  all  ways  to  the  one  on 
which  he  had  laid  the  shawl  to  warm  the  freezing  back 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  323 

of  the  Warning  of  the  McClintons.  Somehow  he  fell 
to  thinking  about  that  ghost,  and  its  disappearance,  and 
of  Anna  McNamor;  how  much  he  would  give  if  only 
he  could  see  her  again. 

He  recalled  how  the  old  grandmother  had  told  him 
that  some  families  married  out  of  the  Warning,  while 
others  married  into  it,  much  as  he  had  heard  was  the 
case  with  the  Assembly  Ball  in  Philadelphia.  The 
McClinton  Warning  had  evidently  clung  to  the  female 
line,  as  it  had  been  very  much  in  evidence  when  Anna 
McNamor's  time  had  come. 

Something  made  him  look  up  the  street.  Coming 
slowly  towards  him  was  a  slender  school  girl,  with  a 
little  green  hat  perched  on  her  head,  the  living  image 
of  Anna,  dead  for  five  years !  He  almost  fell  off 
the  bench  in  surprise,  to  note  the  same  slim  oval  face, 
the  aquiline  features,  and  hazel  eyes  that  he  had  known 
and  loved  so  well.  She  paused  for  a  moment  in  front 
of  the  house  next  door,  holding  her  school  books  in"  her 
arms,  while  she  looked  out  at  the  raging  river.  The 
spring  breezes  blowing  her  short  skirts  showed  her  slim 
legs  encased  in  light  brown  worsted  stockings.  Then 
she  went  indoors. 

It  did  not  take  him  long  to  seek  his  landlady  and 
learn  that  she  was  a  flesh  and  blood,  sure  enough  girl, 
Anna  Harbord  by  name,  whose  mother,  widow  of  Mike 
Harbord,  an  old  time  riverman,  also  ran  a  boarding 
house.  It  was  not  many  days  before  some  errand 
brought  the  girl  to  the  house  where  McMeans  was  stop- 


324  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

ping,  and  matters  fortuitously  adjusted  themselves  so 
that  he  met  her. 

He  was  struck  by  her  similarity  to  the  dead  girl,  even 
the  tones  of  her  voice,  and  it  seemed  strange  she  should 
have  such  a  counterpart.  She  appeared  friendly  dis- 
posed towards  him  from  the  start,  and  it  was  like  a 
compensation  sent  after  all  his  years  of  disappointment 
and  loneliness.  She  was  then  sixteen  years  old,  and 
must  have  been  eleven  when  her  "double"  passed  away. 

As  their  acquaintance  grew  into  love,  and  all  seemed 
so  serene,  as  if  it  was  to  be,  Andrew  McMeans  grad- 
ually regaining  his  faith,  human  and  divine,  felt  he 
owed  his  happiness  to  the  Warning  of  the  McClintons', 
whose  misery  he  had  appeased  by  taking  the  cloak  out 
to  her,  while  engaged  in  her  disagreeable  duty  of  for- 
telling  the  coming  dissolution  of  the  unfortunate  girl. 

McMeans  and  Anna  Harbord  married.  They  decid- 
ed to  remain  in  Pittsburg,  and  he  became  in  a  few 
years  a  successful  and  respected  business  man. 

If  few  persons  had  been  kind  to  ghosts,  certainly 
he  had  profited  by  his  interest  in  the  welfare  of  the 
''Warning  of  the  McClintons".  The  girl's  mother  in- 
formed him  that  in  the  early  spring,  about  five  years 
before,  her  daughter  had  been  seized  with  a  cataleptic 
attack,  had  laid  for  days  unconscious,  and  when  she 
came  out  of  it,  her  entire  personality,  even  the  color  of 
her  eyes,  had  changed.  Could  it  have  been,  the  young 
husband  often  thought,  as  he  sat  gazing  at  his  bride 
with  undisguised  admiration,  some  act  of  the  grateful 
"Warning,"  in  sending  Anna  McXamor's  soul  to  enter 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  325 

the  body  of  this  girl  in  Pittsburg,  and  reserving  her  for 
him,  safe  and  sound  from  Wellendorf  and  all  harm, 
until  his  travels  brought  her  across  his  path !  Human 
personality,  he  reasoned,  is  merely  a  means  to  an  end. 
The  unfinished  life  of  Anna  McNamor  could  not  go 
on,  like  a  flower  unfolding,  until  her  fragrance  had 
been  spent  on  the  one  who  needed  it  most.  Then  he 
would  shudder  at  the  idea  that  if  the  school  girl,  who 
stopped  to  look  at  the  flooded  river,  had  started  on 
again,  passing  him  by,  never  to  see  her  again.  He 
would  feel  that  he  had  been  dreaming  perhaps,  until, 
touching  his  wife's  soft  creamy  cheeks,  would  realize 
that  she  was  actually  there,  and  his. 

Through  her  his  soul  took  on  new  light,  and  from  a 
vigorous  young  woodsman,  he  was  slowly  but  surely 
passing  into  an  intellectual  existence.  He  had  been 
strangely  favored  by  the  mainsprings  of  destiny,  and 
why  should  he  not  give  the  world  all  that  was  best  in 
him.  Life,  ruthless  though  it  seems,  has  always  com- 
pensations, and  if  we  live  rightly  and  truly,  the  debt 
will  be  owing  us,  whereas  most  of  us  through  mistakes 
and  misdeeds,  have  a  great  volume  of  retribution  com- 
ing in  an  inevitable  sequence. 


XXIV, 

A  Misunderstanding 

IT  WAS  the  night  before  Christmas  in  the  little 
mountain  church  near  Wolfe's  Store.  The  small, 
low-roofed,  raftered  chapel  was  illumined  as  bright- 
ly as  coal  oil  lamps  in  the  early  stage  of  their  develop- 
ment could  do  it ;  a  hemlock  tree,  decked  out  with  can- 
dles and  tinsel  stood  to  one  side  of  the  altar,  an  almost 
red-hot  ten-plate  stove  on  the  other,  while  the  chancel 
and  rafters  were  twined  and  garlanded  with  ground 
pine  and  ilex,  or  winter  berries.  In  one  of  the  rear 
pews  sat  a  very  good  looking  young  couple,  a  for- 
mer school  teacher  revisiting  the  valley,  and  his  favorite 
pupil.  Lambert  Girtin  and  Elsie  Vanneman  were  their 
names. 

The  young  man,  who  was  a  veteran  of  the  Civil  War, 
possessed  the  right  to  wear  the  Congressional  medal, 
and  while  teaching  at  the  little  red  school  house  on  the 
pike  near  the  road  leading  to  Gramley's  Gap,  had  no- 
ticed and  admired  the  fair  Elsie,  so  different  from  the 
rest  of  his  flock.  She  was  the  daughter  of  a  prosperous 
lumberman,  a  jobber  in  hardwoods,  and  her  mother 
was  above  the  average  in  intelligence  and  breeding,  yet 
Elsie  in  all  ways  transcended  even  her  parents. 

She  had  seemed  like  a  mere  child  when  he  left  her  at 
the  close  of  the  term  the  previous  Christmas,  but  he 
could  not  evict  her  image  from  his  soul.    It  was  mainly 

326 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  327 

to  see  her,  though  he  would  have  admitted  this  to  no 
one,  that  induced  him  to  revisit  the  remote  valley  during 
the  following  holiday  season.  The  long  drive  in  the 
stage  through  drifted  roads  had  seemed  nothing  to  him. 
he  was  so  elated  at  the  thought  of  reviving  old  mem- 
ories at  the  sight  of  this  most  beloved  of  pupils. 

In  order  not  to  arouse  any  one's  suspicions,  he  did  no 
more  than  to  inquire  how  she  was  at  the  general  store 
and  boarding  house  where  he  stopped. 

"You  would  never  know  her,"  exclaimed  old  Mother 
Wolfe,  the  landlady.  "Why,  she's  a  regular  young 
lady,  grown  a  head  taller,"  making  a  gesture  with  her 
hand  to  denote  her  increased  stature. 

On  Christmas  Eve  there  was  to  be  the  usual  enter- 
tainment at  the  Union  Church,  and  Lambert  Girtin 
posted  himself  outside  the  entrance  to  wait  for  the  ob- 
ject of  his  dreams.  The  snow  was  drifted  deep,  and  it 
was  bitterly  cold,  yet  social  events  were  so  rare  in  the 
mountains  that  almost  every  one  braved  the  icy  blasts 
to  be  present.  It  was  not  long  before  he  was  rewarded 
by  a  sight  of  Elsie  Vanneman.  It  zvas  remarkable  how 
tall  she'd  grown!  As  he  expressed  it  to  himself,  "An 
opening  bud  became  a  rose  full-blown"  in  one  short 
year! 

She  of  course  recognized  him,  and  greeted  him 
warmly,  and  they  entered  the  church  together.  Inside 
by  the  lamplight  he  had  a  better  chance  to  study  her 
appearance  more  in  detail  than  by  the  cold  starlight  on 
the  church  steps.  She  had  grown  until  she  was  above 
the  middle  height,  yet  had  literally  taken  her  figure  and 


328  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

her  grace  with  her.  She  was  slender,  yet  shapely, 
dainty  and  graceful  in  the  extreme.  Her  violet  eyes 
were  even  more  deeply  pensive  than  of  yore,  her  cheeks 
were  pink  and  white,  her  lips  red  and  slightly  full.  Her 
hair  was  a  golden  or  coppery  brown,  and  shone  like 
those  precious  metals  in  the  reflected  light  of  the  lamps 
and  the  stove;  the  slight  upward  turn  of  her  nose  still 
remained. 

How  demure,  earnest  and  sincere  she  was !  In  the 
intervening  year  he"  had  never  seen  her  like  in  Belle- 
fonte,  Altoona  or  Pittsburg.  She  seemed  to  be  happy 
to  be  with  him  again,  minus  the  restraint  existing  be- 
tween a  pupil  and  teacher.  Instinctively  their  fingers 
touched,  and  they  held  hands  during  most  of  the  even- 
ing. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  sermon,  which  was  long  and 
loud,  and  gave  the  young  couple  plenty  of  opportunity 
to  advance  their  love  making  unnoticed,  Girtin  whis- 
pered to  her :    "Have  you  an  escort  home,  dear  Elsie  ?" 

The  answer  was  a  hesitating  "Yes." 

The  young  man  felt  his  heart  give  a  jolt,  then  al- 
most stop  throbbing,  and  an  instant  hatred  of  some  un- 
known rival  made  his  blood  boil  furiously.  How  could 
she  act  that  way?  She  had,  even  as  his  pupil,  been 
indifferent  to  all  of  the  opposite  sex  except  him,  and 
during  the  period  of  their  separation  her  sprightly 
letters  had  borne  evidence  of  tender  sentiments,  to  the 
utter  exclusion  of  all  others.  Had  he  not  believed  in 
her,  he  would  not  have  taken  that  long  journey  back 
into  the  mountains,  that  many  might  have  been  glad  to 
quit  for  good.    Her  beauty  and  her  grace  had  haunted 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  329 

him,  and  he  had  determined  to  wed  her,  until  this  sign 
of  duplicity  had  been  sprung  on  him.  Of  course  she 
did  not  know  he  was  coming,  and  had  made  the  fatal 
arrangements  before;  yet,  if  she  cared  for  him  as  he 
did  for  her,  she  would  not  be  making  engagements  with 
the  boys,  especially  at  her  tender  age. 

He  tried  to  console  himself  by  noticing  a  shade  of 
regret  flit  over  her  blushing  face  after  she  said  the 
fateful  words,  but  until  the  close  of  services  he  was  ill 
at  ease  and  scarcely  opened  his  mouth.  At  the  benedic- 
tion he  managed  to  stammer  "Good  evening,"  and  was 
out  of  the  church  in  the  frosty  starlight  night  before 
any  one  else. 

With  long  strides  he  walked  up  the  snowy  road  ahead 
of  the  crowd  who  had  followed  him.  The  sky  was  very 
clear,  and  the  North  Star,"The  Three  Kings,"  or  Jacob's 
Rake,  Job's  Coffin,  and  other  familiar  constellations, 
were  glimmering  on  the  drifted  snow.  Instead  of  ob- 
serving the  stars,  had  he  looked  back  he  would  have 
seen  that  the  "escort"  she  referred  to  was  none  other 
than  a  girl  friend,  Katie  Moyer,  and  both,  Elsie  in 
particular,  would  have  been  only  too  happy  to  have  a 
sturdy  male  companion  to  see  them  through  the  snow 
banks. 

As  a  result  of  his  disappearance,  Elsie  was  as  un- 
happy and  silent  as  Girtin  had  been,  as  she  floundered 
about  in  the  drifts.  Despite  her  gentle,  sunny  nature, 
she  was  decidedly  out  of  sorts  when  she  reached  home 
at  the  big  white  house  near  the  Salt  Spring.  She  gave 
monosyllabic  answers  to  her  parents   in   response  to 


330  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

their  queries  as  to  how  she  had  enjoyed  the  long-looked 
for  Christmas  entertainment.  She  did  not  sleep  at  all 
that  night,  but  tossed  about  the  bed,  keeping  her  friend 
awake,  and  on  Christmas  Day  was  in  a  rebellious  mood. 
Her  mother  reminded  her  how  ungrateful  she  was  to  be 
so  tearful  and  sullen  in  the  face  of  so  many  blessings 
and  gifts. 

There  was  no  stage  or  sleigh  out  of  the  valley  on 
Christmas  Day,  else  Girtin  would  have  departed.  He 
moped  about  all  day,  telling  those  who  asked  the  matter 
that  he  was  ill.  Elsie,  knowing  that  he  was  still  in  the 
valley,  hoped  up  to  bedtime  that  he  would  at  least  come 
to  pay  her  a  brief  Christmas  call,  but  supper  over,  and 
no  signs  of  him,  she  was  uncivil  to  her  mother  to  such 
a  degree  that  her  friend  openly  said  that  she  was 
ashamed  of  her. 

Though  Katie  and  she  were  rooming  together,  it  did 
not  deter  her  mother,  goaded  by  the  remarks  of  the 
younger  children  to  visit  her  room  while  they  were 
undressing,  saying  "that  she  deserved  a  good  dose  of 
the  gad,"  and,  ordering  her  to  lay  face  downward  on 
the  bed,  administered  a  good,  old-fashioned  spanking 
with  the  flax-paddle.  After  this  humiliating  chastise- 
ment in  the  presence  of  her  friend,  the  unhappy  girl 
cried  and  sobbed  until  morning. 

It  was  a  wretched  ending  for  what  might  have  been 
a  memorable  Christmas  for  Lambert  Girtin  and  Elsie 
Vanneman. 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  managed  to  hire  3 
cutter  and  was  driven  to  Bellefonte,  leaving  the  valley 
with  deep  regrets.     Through  friends  in  the  valley  he 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  331 

learned  afterwards  that  Elsie  had  gone  as  a  missionary 
to  China. 

Life  ran  smoothly  in  some  ways  for  Lamhert  Girtin, 
for  he  became  uniformly  successful  as  a  business  man. 
The  oil  excitement  was  at  its  height,  and  he  was  sent 
by  a  large  general  supply  house  in  Pittsburg  to  open  a 
store  in  Pithole  City,  "the  Magic  City,"  to  the  success 
of  which  he  contributed  so  much  that  he  was  given  an 
interest  in  the  concern. 

At  heart  he  was  not  happy.  He  could  never  focus 
his  attentions  on  any  woman  for  long,  as  in  the  back- 
ground he  always  saw  the  slender  form,  the  blushing 
face,  the  pansy-like  eyes  and  the  copper-brown,  wavy 
hair  of  his  mountain  sweetheart,  Elsie  Vanneman.  Her 
loveliness  haunted  him,  and  all  others  paled  beside  her. 
He  was  in  easy  circumstances  to  marry ;  friends  less 
opulent  were  taking  wives  and  building  showy  homes 
with  Mansard  roofs,  along  the  outskirts  of  the  muddy 
main  thoroughfare  of  Pithole  City,  where  landscape 
gardening  often  consisted  of  charred,  blackened  pine 
stumps  and  abandoned  oil  derricks. 

Sometimes,  in  his  spirtual  loneliness,  he  betook  him- 
self to  strange  companions.  One  of  these  was  a  Chi- 
nese laundryman,  a  prototype  of  Bret  Harte's  then  pop- 
ular "Heathen  Chinee,"  who  seemed  to  be  a  learned 
individual,  despite  his  odd  appearance.  Girtin,  who 
had  read  of  the  exploits  of  the  Fox  sisters  and  other 
exponents  of  early  spiritualism,  was  unprepared  for 
the  learning  and  insight  possessed  by  this  undistin- 
guished Celestial. 


332  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Drawn  to  him  at  first  because  he  could  possibly  tel! 
about  conditions  in  China,  where  Elsie  was  supposed 
to  be,  he  became  gradually  more  and  more  absorbed  by 
the  laundryman's  philosophic  speculations.  The  fellow 
confided  at  length  that  he  was  married,  and  had  five 
children  at  Tien-Tsin,  to  whom  he  was  deeply  attached. 
He  would  have  died  of  a  broken  heart  to  be  so  far  away 
from  them  but  for  the  power  he  had  developed  by  con- 
centrating on  the  image  of  his  native  mountains,  which 
yearning  was  reciprocated,  and  at  night  he  claimed  that 
his  spirit  was  drawn  out  of  his  body  and  "hopped"  half 
the  span  of  the  globe  to  the  side  of  his  loved  ones. 
There  must  be  something  after  all  in  the  old  Scotch 
quotation,  "Oh,  for  my  strength,  once  more  to  see  the 
hills." 

Girtin  expressed  a  strong  desire  to  be  initiated  into 
these  compelling  mysteries.,  In  order  to  cultivate  his 
psychic  sense,  the  Chinaman  induced  him  to  smoke 
opium,  which,  while  repellent  to  Girtin,  he  undertook 
in  order  to  reach  his  desired  object.  If  he  had  been  a 
man  of  any  mental  equilibrium,  he  would  have  secured 
a  leave  of  absence  from  business  and  gone  to  China  and 
claimed  the  fair  Elsie,  if  she  was  still  unmarried.  He 
would  not  do  that  because  he  was  still  tortured  by  the 
memory  of  her  preferring  another  at  the  moment  when 
his  hopes  had  been  highest,  yet  he  wanted  to  see  her, 
hoping  that  he  could  do  so  without  her  knowing  it. 

The  results  attained  were  beyond  his  expectations. 
He  quickly  mastered  his  soul  and  "hopped"  to  the 
interior  of  China.    Elsie  was  there,  surrounded  by  her 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  333 

classes ;  at  twenty-one  more  wondrously  lovely  and 
beautiful  than  when  he  had  parted  from  her  that  frosty 
night,  with  the  Dipper  and  Jacob's  Rake  shining  so 
clearly  in  the  heavens. 

Though  there  were  many  missionaries  and  foreign 
officials  who  would  have  courted  her,  her  dignity  and 
quiet  reserve  were  impenetrable.  Was  she  so  because 
of  the  love  for  the  youth  who  was  to  escort  her  home 
from  church  that  night,  or  did  she  cherish  the  memory 
of  her  whilom  schoolmaster  admirer?  These  were  the 
thoughts  that  annoyed  him  by  day,  the  "hang  over"  of 
his  spiritual  adventures  at  night. 

The  opium  and  the  intense  mental  concentration 
were  taking  a  lot  out  of  him.  He  became  sallow  and 
irritable,  and  neglected  many  business  opportunities. 
One  of  the  head  partners  of  the  firm  in  Pittsburg  was 
going  to  Pithole  City  "to  have  it  out  with  him,"  as  the 
mountain  folks  would  say.  Before  he  could  reach  the 
scene  word  was  telegraphed  that  Lambert  Girtin, 
frightfully  altered  in  appearance,  was  found  dead  one 
morning  in  a  bunk  back  of  the  Charley  Wah  Laundry 
at  Pithole. 

He  had  no  relatives  in  the  town,  and  his  sisters,  who 
could  not  come  on,  telegraphed  to  bury  him  in  the  new 
Mount  Moriah  Cemetery,  now  all  overgrown  and 
abandoned,  like  Pithole  itself !  There  could  be  no 
doubt  as  to  his  death,  as  Bill  Brewer,  just  coming  into 
fame  as  the  "Hick  Preacher,"  officiated  at  the  obse- 
quies. So  Lambert  Girtin  was  quickly  forgotten  in 
most  all  quarters.     If  he  was  remembered  for  a  time, 


334  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

it  was  in  the  remote  valley  in  which  he  had  taught 
school,  and  where  news  of  his  early  demise  occasioned 
profound  regret. 

Years  passsed,  and  Elsie  Vanneman,  after  giving 
some  of  the  best  years  of  her  life  to  missionary  activi- 
ties in  various  parts  of  China,  resigned  her  position,  in 
consequence  of  a  shattered  nervous  system,  caused  by 
overwork  during  a  great  earthquake,  where  she  minis- 
tered to  thousands  of  refugees,  and  started  for  home. 
Her  parents  had  died  while  she  was  in  the  "Celestial 
Kingdom,"  but  she  had  a  number  of  brothers  and 
sisters  who  were  glad  to  welcome  her,  and  with  whom 
she  planned  a  round  of  visits. 

She  was  only  thirty  when  she  returned,  a  trifle  paler 
and  a  few  small  lines  around  her  mouth,  but  otherwise 
a  picture  of  saintliness  and  loveliness.  One  of  the  first 
bits  of  news  she  heard  on  reaching  the  valley  was  of  the 
ignominious  end  of  Lambert  Girtin  in  a  Chinese  laun- 
dryman's  shack — "a  promising  career  cut  short,"  all 
allowed. 

It  was  shocking  to  Elsie,  as  she  had  dreamed  of  this 
young  man  nearly  every  night  from  a  certain  period  of 
her  stay  in  China.  She  was  on  the  street  during  the 
great  quake,  and  as  the  earth  cracked  and  swallowed 
countless  victims,  she  fancied  she  saw  a  European,  the 
counterpart  of  Girtin,  plunged  into  the  deadly  abyss. 
She  had  come  home  with  the  intention  of  learning 
definite  news  of  him,  and  if  he  was  not  the  earthquake 
victim,  and  still  lived,  perhaps  to  renew  their  old-time 
interests. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  335 

She  had  been  so  upset  by  his  failure  to  call,  or  even 
to  write,  after  the  Christmas  eve  at  the  little  country 
church,  that  she  had  never  communicated  with  him 
again.  Her  dreams  had  been  most  vividly  realistic, 
as  if  he  had  been  really  near  to  her  in  China,  and  she 
could  not  make  herself  believe  that  he  was  dead  in 
Pithole  City,  Pennsylvania. 

Owing  to  this  piece  of  bad  news,  she  did  not  remain 
as  long  in  the  valley  as  she  had  planned,  and  almost 
from  the  day  of  her  arrival  had  pined  to  be  back  in  the 
Far  East.  The  valley  seemed  dull,  anyway;  saw-mills 
were  making  it  as  treeless  as  China;  she  hated  to  see 
Luther  Guisewhite  destroy  those  giant  original  white 
pines,  which  reared  their  black-topped  spiral  heads 
along  the  foot  of  the  mountains  on  the  winter  side ;  the 
wild  pigeons  no  longer  darkened  the  sky  with  their 
impressive  flights,  the  flying  squirrels  were  being  shot 
out  in  Fulmer's  Sink,  near  her  old  home ;  her  parents 
were  gone — everything  was  different. 

Unsettled  and  dissatisfied,  especially  after  a  visit  to 
the  girl  who  had  accompanied  her  home  on  the  eventful 
Christmas  Eve,  now  the  mother  of  eight  handsome 
children,  she  decided  to  return  to  China.  The  vast 
herds  of  buffaloes  that  had  impeded  the  progress  of 
her  train  on  her  first  journey  westward  were  gone.  The 
Indians  who  occasionally  furnished  a  touch  of  color  to 
the  prairie  landscape,  likewise  had  disappeared.  Civi- 
lization was  spreading  through  the  Great  West. 

She  timed  her  arrival  in  San  Francisco  so  as  to  be 
there  shortly  after  the  arival  of  a  ship  from  China,  so 


536  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

as  to  go  back  on  its  return  journey.  She  wouid  have 
several  days  to  wait  in  the  City  of  the  Golden  Gate, 
but  it  was  quaint  and  picturesque,  the  time  would  pass 
quickly. 

One  evening — she  was  not  afraid,  as  she  knew  the 
language  and  customs  of  the  Celestials — she  decided  to 
take  a  stroll  through  the  famous  Chinese  Quarter.  As 
she  was  walking  along,  her  head  down,  her  mind  ab- 
stracted and  noticing  little,  some  one  touched  her  on  the 
arm.  Looking  around,  as  if  to  resent  a  familiarity,  to 
her  bewilderment  she  beheld  her  long-lost  friend,  Lam- 
bert Girtin. 

"Lambert  Girtin!"  she  said,  in  amazed  tones. 

"Elsie  Vanneman — it  is  surely  you?"  he  replied. 

"Of  all  people,  after  all  these  years !  I  had  been 
hearing  that  you  died  five  years  ago  in  the  oil  regions 
somewhere;  what  are  you  doing?" 

The  ex-schoolmaster  took  hold  of  both  of  her 
hands,  there  in  the  crowded,  moving  throngs  of  China- 
town, saying:  "I  came  in  from  China  today,  after 
what  I  thought  was  a  hopeless  search  for  you.  Years 
ago,  after  our  separation,  a  Chinaman  showed  me  how 
to  visit  China  in  my  dreams,  and  be  close  to  you.  It 
took  a  whole  lot  of  mental  concentration,  was  pulling 
me  down  physically.  I  kept  it  up  too  long,  for  one 
night  I  dreamed  I  was  in  a  terrible  earthquake.  It  was 
so  vivid  that  my  physical  as  well  as  my  spiritual  being 
was  translated  to  China,  and  I  found  myself  there  pen- 
niless. But,  search  as  I  may,  I  could  not  find  you.  If 
I  died  in  the  oil  regions,  it  must  have  been  another 


JESSE  LOGAX,  PENNSYLVANIA  INDIAN  CHIEF 
(I'hotcgraph   Taken   1915   by    P.   C.   Hockenberry) 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  337 

physical  self,  shed  as  a  snake  does  his  skin,  for  the 
Lambert  Girtin  who  stands  before  you  is  fully  alive, 
and  resolved  never  to  part  from  you  again ." 

Old  memories  came  to  Elsie  Vanneman.  conquering 
her  fears,  and  her  face  flushed  as  in  schoolgirl  days: 
"You  speak  of  our  'separation' — pray,  tell  me  more 
about  it;  why  did  you  leave  me  so  abruptly  and  run 
away  that  Christmas  Eve  after  meeting  ?  I  could  never 
understand  why  you  did  not  even  come  to  wish  me  a 
'Merry  Christmas'  the  next  day.  Why  didn't  you  ever 
write  me  a  line  ?    What  did  I  do  to  merit  such  neglect  ?" 

"What  did  you  do  ?"  replied  Girtin,  drawing  her  aside 
from  the  passing  stream  of  pig-tailed  humanity  into  a 
shadowy  doorway.  "It  doesn't  seem  very  serious  now, 
but  it  hurt  me  a  whole  lot  at  the  time.  You  told  me  you 
had  an  engagement  with  some  one  to  see  you  in  from 
church,  and  I  was  angry  and  jealous,  for  I  had  been 
imagining  that  your  thoughts  had  only  been  of  me, 
that  you  cared  for  no  one  else." 

"I  had  an  engagement  with  some  one,  that  is  true, 
but  only  a  girl  friend,  Katie  Moyer,  who  came  and 
spent  the  night  with  me,"  replied  the  girl  with  alacrity. 

Girtin  turned  as  pale  as  death ;  his  sufferings,  mental 
and  physical,  his  wanderings,  physical  and  actual,  his 
wasted  years,  all  had  been  caused  by  a  misunderstanding. 
He  was  at  a  loss  for  words  for  some  time,  but  he  held 
on  to  Elsie's  hands,  looking  into  her  beautiful,  ethereal 
face,  the  vari-colored  light  of  a  Chinese  lantern  shining 
down  on  her  coppery-gold  hair. 

"Do  you  care  for  me  at  all,  now?"  he  said,  at  length. 


338  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

"Yes,  I  think  I  do ;  I  must,  or  I  would  not  have 
came  back  all  the  way  from  China  to  hunt  you,"  she 
answered. 

"Then  we  have  both  suffered,"  he  said,  sadly.  "What 
shall  we  do  now?" 

"Let  us  return  to  the  Pennsylvania  Mountains,  where 
we  both  belong;  it  is  home,"  she  said. 

"That's  where  I  want  to  go,"  he  replied,  "if  I  can 
ever  live  down  that  dying  story  in  Pithole  City." 

"Of  course  you  can,"  said  Elsie.  "There  was  a  case 
in  our  valley  of  a  soldier  reported  as  killed  at  Gettys- 
burg ;  they  sent  his  body  home,  began  paying  his  widow 
a  pension ;  she  married  a  former  sweetheart,  and  then, 
worse  than  'Enoch  Arden,'  he  appeared  as  if  from  the 
grave.  He  had  no  explanations  to  make,  and  our  moun- 
tain people  asked  no  questions,  all  having  faith  in  super- 
natural things.  Neither  will  I  ask  any  of  you.  I  have 
seen  too  much  in  the  east  to  make  me  disbelieve  any- 
thing, or  that  we  can  die  two  or  three  times  under  stress 
of  circumstances,  shedding  our  physical  selves — to  use 
our  words — as  snakes  do  their  skins.  I  am  only 
happy  I  did  not  marry  some  one  else,  as  I  was  tempted 
to  do  when  I  imagined  you  were  engulfed  in  the  earth- 
quake." 

That  night  in  Chinatown  for  once  a  misunderstand- 
ing ended  happily. 


XXV. 

A  Haunted  House 

WHEN  Billy  Cloyd  prospered  in  the  lumber  and 
milling  business,  he  determined  to  erect  a  man- 
sion overlooking  the  arrowy  waters  of  the 
Sinnemahoning  that  would  reflect  not  only  his  success, 
but  the  social  status  of  his  family  as  well.  Accordingly 
Williamsport  architects  who  made  a  specialty  of  erect- 
ing houses  for  the  wealthy  lumbermen  of  that  commu- 
nity were  commissioned  to  prepare  plans  for  what  was 
to  be  the  grandest  private  dwelling  on  the  outposts  of 
civilization,  a  structure  which  would  outdo  the  already 
famous  club  house  built  for  the  use  of  the  stockholders 
of  the  Philadelphia  Land  Company  at  Snow  Shoe,  or 
the  offices  of  the  agents  of  the  Queen  of  Spain  at 
Reveltown  and  Scootac. 

The  result  was  a  large,  square  house,  along  Colonial 
lines,  with  a  spacious  doorway,  above  which  was  a 
transom  of  antique  colored  glass  brought  all  the  way 
from  the  home  of  one  of  his  ancestors  at  Old  Carlisle. 
Windows  were  numerous,  commanding  views  up  and 
down  the  beautiful,  billowy  stream,  then  teeming  with 
fish  and  aquatic  bird  life. 

The  surrounding  mountains  were  covered  with  virgin 
pine  forests,  while  the  great  hemlocks,  oaks  and  birches 
hung  over  the  water's  edge.  There  was  a  clearing  in 
which  the  mansion  stood,  the  chief   feature  of  which 

339 


340  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

was  an  old-fashioned  garden  of  carefully  laid  design, 
with  plenty  of  columbine,  called  by  the  mountain  folks 
"church  bells,"  and  eglantine,  with  boxwoods  from  the 
"Quaker  City,"  purchased  from  the  heirs  of  "Eagles- 
field." 

The  dark  forest  came  to  the  back  of  the  garden,  and 
stood  black  in  the  gorge  of  Mill  Creek  near  the  pro- 
jected flouring  and  fulling  mills,  to  the  east  of  the 
mansion;  the  ever-busy  saw-mill,  the  chief  symbol  of 
the  prosperity  of  Castlecloyd,  as  the  domain  was  called, 
was  situated  near  the  mouth  of  the  creek.  There  was 
barely  a  distance  of  two  hundred  yards  from  the  sloping 
banks  of  the  Sinnemahoning  to  where  the  forest  and 
the  steep  mountains  began,  consequently  the  mansion, 
mills,  workshops,  stables  and  mill  hands'  and  woods- 
men's houses  were  all  close  together. 

Along  the  water's  edge  carpenters  were  steadily  at 
work  building  arks  and  flats  which  carried  the  products 
of  the  mills  to  the  terminus  of  the  railroad  at  Lock 
Haven,  or  to  Sunbury  or  Harrisburg. 

Now  all  is  changed.  The  view  from  the  portico  and 
the  lawn  of  Castlecloyd  is  upon  a  stream  flowing  with  a 
liquid  the  color  and  texture  of  ink,  frowning  with  fine 
yellow  bubbles;  not  a  living  fish  has  been  seen,  accord- 
ing to  the  present  occupant  of  the  premises,  the  vener- 
able Seth  Nelson,  Jr.,  since  1899,  when  the  paper  mill 
at  Austin  sent  down  its  first  installment  of  vile  pollu- 
tion. Then  the  fish  leaped  on  the  shore  in  frightful 
agony,  dying  out  of  water,  but  away  from  the  insidious 
poisoning  of  the  acids. 

The  water  birds  are  gone;  they  cannot  drink  the 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  341 

polluted  water,  and  give  the  region  a  wide  berth.  In- 
stead of  cooling  zephyrs,  when  the  wind  blows  off  the 
creek  towards  the  house,  there  comes  a  stench  worse 
than  a  week-old  battlefield  in  Flanders. 

No  forests  of  virgin  timber  are  to  be  seen,  if  you 
strain  your  eyes  looking  up  or  down  stream,  nothing 
but  charred,  brown  wastes,  the  aftermath  of  killing 
forest  fires  which  followed  the  lumbering  operations. 
Here  and  there  on  some  inaccessible  cliff  a  lone  original 
white  pine  or  hemlock  has  its  eyrie,  but  even  there  the 
fires  are  finding  them,  and  they  are  all  scorched  and 
shaky  at  the  butts,  and  go  down  easily  in  sharp  gales. 
Altar  Rock,  famed  in  song  and  story,  still  has  one  pine 
standing  on  its  top,  but  it  is  dead,  and  will  soon  share 
the  fate  of  its  mate,  which  was  blown  down  over  twenty 
years  ago. 

The  entire  scene  is  one  of  loneliness  and  desolation, 
yet  a  quiet,  peaceful  home  for  the  octogenarian  hunter 
Nelson  and  his  devoted  and  equally  aged  sister.  How 
different  all  this  from  what  it  was  in  the  hey-day  of 
prosperous  Billy  Cloyd!  The  hum  of  the  mills,  the 
busy  teams  of  horses  and  ox-spans  bringing  in  the  logs, 
the  carpenters  and  boatmen,  the  large  family  of  the 
successful  woodsman,  their  guests,  and  the  hunters  and 
surveyors  who  often  made  the  house  their  headquarters. 

It  was  at  the  time  that  the  line  of  the  Sunbury  and 
Erie  Railroad  was  being  surveyed  from  Rattlesnake, 
now  Whetham,  to  Erie,  and  one  surveying  crew  was 
quartered  at  Castlecloyd.  A  few  weeks  earlier  Dr. 
J.  T.  Rothrock  had  stopped  there,  but  was  now  further 


342  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

west,  camping  with  Mike  Long,  the  wolf  hunter,  in  the 
midst  of  a  great  deer  and  pigeon  country  in  Elk  County. 

Those  were  days  of  reckless  waste  of  our  natural 
resources,  according  to  the  good  Doctor.  One  of  the 
surveyors,  so  as  not  to  have  to  curve  his  line,  ordered 
that  three  giant  original  white  pines  be  cut.  All  the 
stumps  were  measured  by  Dr.  Rothrock  and  averaged 
considerably  over  six  feet  in  diameter.  They  were,  of 
course,  left  to  rot  in  the  woods,  thousands  of  feet  of 
lumber  of  priceless  value  today ! 

Philip  L.  Webster,  who  died  a  few  years  ago  in  Lit- 
tletown,  now  Bradford,  was  also  a  member  of  one  of 
these  surveying  parties  on  Elk  Creek,  a  branch  of  the 
Clarion  River ;  on  one  occasion  he  saw  four  elks  to- 
gether, in  a  swale. 

As  "Buffalo  Bill"  had  been  the  professional  hunter 
for  the  Northern  Pacific  engineering  crews,  Jim  Jacobs, 
"The  Seneca  Bear  Hunter,"  was  attached  to  Mr.  Web- 
ster's organization  in  the  same  capacity.  Instead  of 
bison  roasts,  Jacobs  was  to  furnish  fresh  elk  steaks, 
and  he  kept  the  surveyors,  axmen  and  chain-carriers 
supplied  with  plenty  of  it  all  summer  long. 

The  members  of  the  party  billeted  at  Castlecloyd 
were  composed  of  young  Philadelphia  gentlemen,  sons 
of  prospective  stockholders  in  the  new  railroad,  finely 
educated,  traveled  youths,  whose  love  of  adventure  had 
been  fired  by  the  deeds  of  their  colleagues,  the  Brothers 
Kane.  One  of  them  stood  out  more  brilliantly  than 
the  rest  for  his  scholarly  attainments  and  poetic  nature. 
He  was  young  Wayne  Stewardson,  scion  of  a  distin- 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  343 

guished  Quaker  house  of  that  name,  and  probably  con- 
nected with  the  family  who  owned  the  lands  on  Kettle 
Creek,  once  occupied  by  Ole  Bull. 

The  young  man  had  been  educated  at  the  university 
in  his  native  city,  and  in  Europe  His  early  upbringing 
had  been  in  great  cities,  and  his  sentimental  tastes  came 
out  in  a  peculiar  admiration  of  spires,  chimneys, 
towers,  stacks,  vanes,  arched  roofs,  corbels  and  crock- 
ets. He  would  wander  for  hours  just  at  evening  watch- 
ing the  skyline  in  the  changing  light,  peopling  the  grow- 
ing shadows  with  all  manner  of  grotesque  shapes  and 
chimeras.  His  love  of  shadowland  was  so  great  that  he 
fell  naturally  to  cutting  charming  silhouettes  of  his 
friends,  his  likeness  of  the  lovelorn  and  ill-fated  Dr. 
E.  K.  Kane  being  highly  prized. 

His  visit  to  the  Sinnemahoning  Country  was  his  first 
induction  into  the  heart  of  nature,  and  his  admiratton 
of  man's  handicraft  as  exemplified  in  minarets  and 
high  gables  softened  to  a  deep  reverence  for  the  spiral, 
columnar  forms  of  the  giant  pines  as  they  serrated  the 
skyline  of  the  Allegheny  summits. 

There  was  a  bench  between  two  red  maple  trees,  on 
the  bank  of  the  Sinnemahoning,  just  in  front  of  Castle- 
cloyd,  where  he  would  sit  after  supper,  watching  the 
crimson  sunset  reflected  in  the  stream,  with  the  dusky 
shapes  of  the  ancient  trees  athwart,  and  the  sky  gradu- 
ally becoming  less  of  rose  and  more  of  mother-of-pearl, 
behind  the  sentinel  pines  on  the  comb  of  the  mountains 
beyond  Birch  Island.    It  was  more  beautiful  than  any- 


344  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

thing  he  had  ever  seen  in  cities,  in  its  sheer  ferocious 
wildness. 

One  evening,  on  hearing  a  woman's  voice  humming 
an  old  tune,  he  looked  around,  beholding  Cloyd's  pretty 
daughter  sitting,  watching  the  afterglow  from  the  portal 
of  the  classic  doorway.  Her  knees  were  crossed,  re- 
vealing pretty,  plump  little  legs,  encased  in  blue  cotton 
stockings.  His  first  thought  at  seeing  her  was  to  recall 
Poe's  youthful  lines,  "Helen  Thy  Beauty  is  to  Me." 
Previously  he  had  not  noticed  her  much,  except  that 
she  seemed  more  than  ordinarily  good-looking  and 
refined,  for  the  drudge's  life  she  was  living.  Now 
that,  like  himself,  she  was  a  person  who  took  notice  of 
her  surroundings,  she  must  be  different,  he  thought, 
and  have  a  soul  more  in  keeping  with  her  lovely  ap- 
pearance. 

When  she  saw  that  he  had  observed  her,  instead  of 
jumping  up  and  running  into  the  house  and  slamming 
the  door,  like  some  crude  backwoods  girl  might  have 
done,  she  came  forward  and  stood  leaning  against  one 
of  the  red  maples,  and  chatted  pleasantly  about  the 
wonderful  scenery. 

It  was  a  blissful  experience  for  Stewardson,  and  as 
he  had  hardly  spoken  to  a  girl  for  a  month,  was  in  a 
particularly  susceptible  mood.  He  studied  her  appear- 
ance minutely.  She  was  probably  a  trifle  under  the 
middle  height,  very  delicately  made,  with  chestnut  hair 
and  eyes  of  wondrous  golden  amber.  Her  skin  was 
transparently  white,  and  the  delicate  peach-blow  color  in 
her  cheeks  was  too  hectic  to  betoken  good  health.     But 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  345 

the  outstanding  feature  was  the  nose,  the  most  beautiful 
nose  he  had  ever  seen,  the  bridge  slightly  aquiline,  yet 
a  sudden  shortness  at  the  tip  that  transcended  the 
retrousse.  She  was  modest  and  simple,  reticence  being 
her  chief  trait,  as  she  told  about  the  deer  which  often 
took  harbor  in  the  stream,  in  front  of  where  they  were, 
when  pursued  by  dogs. 

She  said  that  she  had  been  christened  Marie  Asterie, 
but  was  generally  called  by  her  second  name,  though  the. 
first  was  shorter  and  easier  to  pronounce. 

Just  as  they  were  becoming  nicely  acquainted,  a 
young  woodsman,  whom  she  introduced  as  Oscar  Garis, 
put  in  an  appearance,  and  the  two  walked  away  to- 
gether, leaving  Stewardson  still  meditating  jon  the 
bench.  Evidently  they  were  lovers,  thought  the  young 
surveyor,  and  when  he  looked  out  on  Sinnemahoning, 
the  light  was  gone — the  water  ran  dark  and  menacing. 

Though  he  had  noticed  the  girl's  unusual  nose  the 
first  time  he  saw  her,  he  had  been  too  busy  to  become 
well  acquainted,  but  he  recalled  that  she  occupied  a 
small  interior  room,  just  off  where  he  slept,  in  the 
second-floor  lobby.  He  had  seen  her  go  upstairs  to 
retire  every  night,  but  proximity  had  meant  nothing  to 
him,  so  deeply  had  he  been  imbued  with  ideas  of  class. 
Tonight  it  would  be  different. 

He  walked  around  a  while  longer,  watching  the  bats 
flit  hither  and  thither,  and  listening  to  the  plaintive 
calling  of  the  whippoorwills,  then  he  went  indoors  and 
joined  his  fellow  surveyors  in  the  lobby.  He  kept 
watching  the  clock  and  watching  the  door  for  Asterie  to 


346  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

return,  amusing  himself  trying  to  cut  her  marvellous 
profile,  the  like  of  which  King  Henry  VIII  or  King 
Arthur  may  have  admired,  for  she  was  evidently  a 
"throw  hack"  to  some  archaic  type.  It  was  always  the 
rule  for  the  men  to  remain  downstairs  until  the  women 
had  retired,  and  on  this  occasion  they  were  all  yawning 
but  Stewardson,  waiting  for  Asterie,  who  was  the  last 
to  come  in,  close  to  ten  o'clock. 

Garis  seemed  indifferent  to  her,  but  it  was  the  negli- 
gence of  bad  manners  rather  than  lack  of  interest. 
This  gave  Stewardson  a  chance  to  light  her  fat  lamp 
for  her,  and  she  closed  the  door  and  went  upstairs. 
When  the  young  surveyor  and  his  companion  ascended 
the  stairs,  he  noted  the  rays  of  light  from  her  room, 
streaming  from  the  crack  beneath  her  door.  That  night 
after  the  lights  were  out,  and  his  friends  asleep,  he 
drew  his  mattress  nearly  to  her  door,  repeating  to 
himself  the  lines  of  Horace's  Ode  X,  in  Book  III : 

"O  Lyce,  didst  thou  like  Tanais, 
Wed  .to  some  savage,  what  a  pity  'tis 
For  me  to  lie  on  such  a  night  as  this 

Before  your  door, 
My  feet  exposed  where  haunting  north  winds  hiss, 
And  angry  roar." 

The  concluding  lines  of  which  were : 

"O  thou  as  hard  as  oak  no  storm  can  break, 
As  pitiless  as  Mauritanian  snake, 
Not  thus  forever  can  I  lie  and  quake, 

Nor  thus  remain 
Before  thy  threshold,  for  thy  love's  sweet  sake, 
Soaked  by  the  rain." 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  347 

But  it  wasn't  a  terrible  night,  only  a  fairly  chilly 
one  in  early  June,  with  all  the  stars  out,  and  Asterie's 
worst  offense  was  that  she  was  "keeping  company" 
with  another ! 

The  young  man  could  not  sleep  all  night  and  wond- 
ered if  the  girl  was  similarly  afflicted,  as  the  light  con- 
tinued to  burn ;  or  maybe  she  was  only  like  many  moun- 
tain people,  and  slept  with  a  night-light,  for  no  sound 
came  from  her  tiny  apartment.  After  that  night  his 
pleasures  at  Castlecloyd  were  ended.  He  loved  the  fair 
and  fragile  girl,  whom  he  hated  to  see  working  so  hard, 
so  patient  and  so  misunderstood.  He  dreaded  the 
thought  of  her  inevitable  marriage  to  Garis,  a  rough, 
common  fellow  of  no  refinement.  He  could  not  think 
of  courting  her  himself  as  his  family  had  never  in  ten 
generations  been  declasse.  There  was  nothing  to  do 
but  to  sigh  in  vain,  and  watch  that  light  coming  from 
beneath  her  door.  And  on  nights  when  the  wind 
howled,  and  the  rain  beat  about  the  roof,  or  some  par- 
ticularly hard  gust  sent  a  few  cold  drops  pattering 
through  a  crack  in  the  shingles,  on  his  face,  he  found 
consolation  by  reciting  to  himself  the  lament  of  Horace 
in  his  Ode  X.  But  he  did  present  her  with  her  silhou- 
ette, which  she  blushingly  accepted,  and  on  several  oc- 
casions when  she  sang  at  the  organ,  complimented  her 
on  her  sweet  contralto  voice. 

In  the  autumn  when  the  red  maples  had  cast  the  last 
of  their  leaves,  and  the  pines  and  hemlocks,  looked  the 
blacker  in  contrast,  Stewardson's  particular  work  was 
done,  and  he  prepared  to  return  to  Philadelphia.    John 


348  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

Smoke,  aged  Seneca,  professional  hunter  of  the  outfit, 
agreed  to  take  him  and  one  of  his  chums  to  Rattlesnake 
in  a  birchbark  canoe.  Seth  Iredell  Nelson,  another 
hunter,  would  take  two  more  of  the  young  men  in  an- 
other canoe.  Asterie  was  on  the  leaf -strewn  bank  to 
see  them  depart,  dressed  in  her  best  pink  denham  frock, 
and  cherry  colored  peach-basket  straw  bonnet.  It 
made  him  resentful  to  watch  Garis  put  his  arm  on  her 
shoulder  as  the  canoes  shoved  away,  to  the  tune  of  old 
Smoke's  Seneca  chant. 

Billy  Cloyd  himself  was  not  present ;  he  excused 
himself  as  not  feeling  well,  and  went  upstairs  shortly 
after  breakfast.  On  the  journey  old  Smoke  confided 
to  his  passengers  the  cause  of  the  landlord's  backward 
conduct.  A  black  calf  had  been  born  the  night  before; 
whenever  one  appeared  in  the  family  it  brought  bad 
luck;  that  had  been  a  belief  with  Cloyd's  people  even 
in  the  remote  days  when  they  lived  in  the  "old 
country." 

Then  the  aged  Indian  told  the  legend  of  how  the 
redmen  came  to  the  American  continent.  They  had 
been  driven  eastward  by  famines  until  they  came  to  a 
great  sea,  across  which  they  found  a  narrow  strip  of 
land,  which  they  crossed.  They  came  to  a  country 
teeming  with  game,  and  made  themselves  at  home, 
wandering  great  distances  to  enjoy  the  chase  and  visit 
the  natural  wonders. 

Later  they  decided  to  revisit  their  old  home,  but  the 
sea  had  washed  over  the  strip  of  land,  and  their  canoes 
were  not  stout  enough  to  breast  the  angry  waves. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  349 

Stewardson  listened  to  this  and  other  old  tales  in  a 
half-ahstracted  way ;  his  thoughts  were  back  with 
Asterie  Cloyd ;  she  with  that  wonderful,  impossible- 
to-silhouette  nose,  her  sweet  voice,  and  quiet,  restful 
manner.  He  did  not  marry  any  of  the  stately  Junoes- 
que  beauties  whom  he  knew,  upon  returning  to  Phila- 
delphia, but  became  critical  of  the  fair  sex,  and  shunned 
their  company  whenever  possible.  About  two  years 
later  the  Civil  War  broke  out,  and  being  intimately 
acquainted  with  the  Kane  family,  he  hurried  to  Har- 
risburg,  and  the  genial  "Colonel  Tom"  gave  him  a 
commission  in  his  1st  Rifle  Regiment,  soon  to  win 
deathless  fame  under  the  name  of  "Bucktails." 

One  evening  in  camp  Colonel  Kane  and  Captain 
Stewardson  were  sitting  before  their  tents,  stroking 
their  long  fair  beards,  for  it  was  the  aim  of  every 
young  soldier  to  be  the  most  shaggily  hirsute.  The 
Colonel  was  telling  of  his  memorable  trip  on  rafts 
from  McKean  County  to  Harrisburg  with  his  recruits 
and  how  he  spent  a  night  with  a  man  named  Garis, 
who  had  acted  like  a  copperhead,  and  though  an  ex- 
pert rifleman,  declined  to  enlist.  "Yet  he  had  ample 
cause  to  be  out  of  sorts"  continued  the  Colonel.  "He 
had  lately  buried  his  wife,  who,  from  all  accounts, 
was  an  exceptionally  pretty  girl,  one  of  Billy  Cloyd's 
daughters." 

If  he  had  watched  Stewardson's  face  carefully,  he 
would  have  seen  it  growing  paler,  even  in  the  camp- 
fire's  ruddy  glow,  beneath  that  mighty  beard. 

"Cloyd,   who   before   the  girl's   marriage,   had   lost 


350  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

his  wife,"  continued  Colonel  Kane,  "went  up  Ben- 
nett's Branch,  to  take  out  spars,  and  started  to  clear 
a  farm  on  the  mountain  top,  and  build  an  even  more 
ambitious  mansion.  Garis  told  me  that  the  old  man 
had  recently  sold  the  whole  property,  including  the 
timber,  to  William  E.  Dodge  of  New  York,  who  in- 
tends naming  it  after  the  President,  the  'Lincoln 
Farm',  and  using  it  for  a  private  summer  resort." 

Captain  Stewardson  did  not  care  to  hear  more ;  as 
soon  as  he  could  consistently  excuse  himself  from  his 
commanding  officer,  he  did  so,  and  wandered  off 
among  the  pines,  inwardly  moaning. 

In  the  early  part  of  1864,  as  the  result  of  wounds, 
he  was  given  an  indefinite  sick  leave,  but  instead  of 
going  home,  he  resolved  to  visit  Asterie's  grave. 

The  railroad  was  completed  to  Renov'o,  and  the 
ties  were  down,  ready  for  the  rails,  almost  to  Erie. 
A  mail  carrier  on  horseback  travelled  from  Renovo 
to  the  backwoods  settlements  of  Sinnemahoning  and 
Driftwood,  and  hiring  an  extra  horse,  the  now  Major 
Stewardson  arranged  to  accompany  him.  They  had 
not  ridden  far  through  the  snowy  road  when  the  mail 
man,  Wallis  Gakle,  began  telling  about  the  Haunted 
House,  Billy  Cloyd's  old  place  that  they  would  pass. 
"Nobody's  lived  there,"  he  said,  "since  Oscar  Garis 
moved  out  in  the  summer  of  '61,  after  burying  that 
pretty  wife  of  his.  They  say  he  worked  her  to  death, 
making  her  do  all  the  cooking  for  all  the  lumber  and 
mill  crews,  and  was  always  after  her  to  do  more ;  he 
literally  hounded  the  poor  little  child  to  death." 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  351 

Then  he  went  on  to  tell  how  towards  nightfall  peo- 
ple were  afraid  to  go  past  the  deserted  house  for  the 
awful  screaming  and  yelling,  like  a  woman  in  tor- 
ment, that  came  from  the  upper  rooms.  Travellers 
never  went  on  that  side  of  the  creek,  unless  in  parties 
of  four  or  five  together,  preferring  to  follow  the 
right-of-way  of  the  railroad  across  the  creek,  but 
even  there  they  could  hear  the  shrieks  and  moaning. 
Some  were  even  hinting  that  Garis,  who  had  gone  to 
live  with  his  late  father-in-law  on  the  Clarion,  had 
in  a  fit  of  temper  murdered  his  wife.  At  the  time  it 
was  said  that  she  had  died  of  lung  trouble. 

All  this  was  interesting  to  the  young  soldier,  and 
he  next  inquired  where  the  poor  girl  was  buried. 

"She's  lying  on  the  hillside,  overlooking  the  meet- 
ing of  the  First  Fork  and  the  Driftwood  Branch,  a 
beautiful  spot,  but  it's  cold  and  bleak  under  the  pines 
when  the  country  is  covered  with  snow." 

Just  beyond  the  present  town  of  Westport,  Gakle 
and  Stewardson  fell  in  with  two  hunters  tramping 
along  on  snowshoes  with  their  dogs,  headed  for  vhe 
panther  country.  They  were  the  veteran  N'imrod 
Jake  Hamersley  and  a  young  hunter  named  Art. 
Vallon. 

"Glad  to  meet  you,  gentlemen,"  said  old  Jake,  half 
joking;  "we  wanted  a  little  bolstering  up  before  pass- 
ing the  haunted  house." 

"Well,  it  is  terrible."  said  Gakle,  "I  am  never  afraid, 
but  my  horse  rears  like  one  of  the  deil's  own  buckies 
when  he  hears  those  dreadful  screams.     I  always  try 


352 ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

to  get  by  before  dark,  for  they  say  the  racket  is  a  lot 
worse  after  sundown." 

As  the  party  wended  its  way  along  the  narrow  trail 
by  the  river's  edge,  all  manner  of  hunting  and  ghost 
stories  were  recounted.  All  were  in  an  eerie  frame 
of  mind,  as  with  the  rays  of  the  setting  sun  shining 
in  their  faces,  they  neared  the  deserted  Castlecloyd. 
The  deep  woods  screened  the  clearings  and  gardens, 
but  long  before  they  came  in  view  a  melancholy  wail- 
ing, like  a  woman  tortured  by  fiends,  echoed  through 
the  aisles  of  the  primeval  forest. 

"I  guess  we'll  have  to  face  it,"  said  the  mail  car- 
rier, "but  four  man  sized  men,  and  a  like  number  of 
varmint  hounds  ought  to  be  able  to  'rassle'  any  spook." 

As  they  neared  the  house,  the  setting  sun  tinted  to 
the  brilliancy  of  the  stained  glass  of  some  mediaeAral 
cathedral  the  vari-colored  lights  above  the  classic 
portal.  They  noticed  that  the  door  stood  open.  From 
an  upper  room  came  the  doleful  groans  and  lamenta- 
tions. 

"What's  those  tracks?"  said  the  keen-eyed  young 
Yallon,  who  had  run  on  ahead  with  the  dogs. 

Coming  up  the  bank  from  the  ice-bound  Sinnema- 
honing,  crossing  the  trail,  and  entering  the  mansion 
by  the  front  door,  were  huge  round  footmarks  like 
these  of  some  mammoth  cat.  "Painter,  painter"  they 
all  cried,  as  they  looked  at  them,  while  the  dogs,  know- 
ing well  the  ferocity  of  the  Pennsylvania  Lion,  slunk 
about  their  master's  feet. 

All  wanted  to  go  indoors,  and  no  one  cared  to  mind 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES  353 

the  horses.  They  tied  the  jaded  beasts  to  the  red 
maple  trees,  on  either  side  of  Major  Stewardson's 
one-time  favorite  resting  place.  Gakle  had  an  old- 
time,  flint-lock  horse  pistol  that  had  been  carried  by 
David  Lewis,  the  Robber,  when  he  was  wounded  on 
the  First  Fork ;  Stewardson  had  his  army  pistol,  while 
the  two  hunters  had  their  flint-lock   Lancaster   rifles. 

They  followed  the  tracks  into  the  lobby,  and  by 
the  snow  and  mud  left  on  the  floor,  to  the  staircase, 
which  they  ascended.  Stewardson's  eyes  fell  on  the 
green-painted  door  of  the  little  room  once  occupied 
by  his  beloved,  which  was  ajar.  He  rushed  forward, 
pistol  in  hand,  and  pushed  it  wide  open. 

On  the  bed,  a  small  affair  of  the  four  poster  type, 
which  he  had  never  viewed  before,  the  scene  of  the 
fair  Asterie's  vigils,  stood  a  great  lithe,  lean  panth- 
eress,  clawing  the  counterpane  and  mattress  with  all 
four  feet,  and  beating  her  fluffy  tail  with  a  regular 
rhythm  against  the  headboard.  In  her  mouth  was  a 
huge  rat,  bleeding,  which  she  had  lately  captured. 

Before  he  could  recover  from  his  amazement  and 
shoot,  the  grey  coated  monster  sprang  over  the  foot- 
board, and  through  the  window,  carrying  the  sash 
with  her.  The  other  men  appeared  just  in  time  to 
see  the  brute's  long  tail  disappearing  through  the  case- 
ment. 

Quickly  turning,  they  seized  the  dogs  by  their  col- 
lars and  pushed  them  down  the  narrow  winding  stairs. 
Outside,  in  the  fading  light,  the  spoor  could  be  seen 
at  the  side  of  the  house  where  the  lioness  bounded 


354  ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 

over  the  lawn,  and  down  the  bank,  and  crossed  the 
stream  on  the  ice. 

The  dogs  took  up  the  scent,  and  were  away,  the 
hunters  following  gamely.  The  baying  of  the  hounds 
echoed  and  re-echoed  through  the  narrow  valley ;  by 
their  volume  the  quarry  was  not  far  ahead.  The  snow 
was  deep  and  very  soft  in  the  woods,  and  it  was  get- 
ting very  dark.  Perhaps  the  chase  would  have  to  be 
abandoned,  and  the  panther  or  spook,  whichever  it 
was.  got  away  after  all. 

Soon  the  barking  of  the  dogs  indicated  that  the 
beast  had  been  run  to  cover.  It  was  just  at  dark 
when  the  hunters  saw  the  pantheress  crouched  in  a 
rock  oak  at  the  forks,  on  the  steep,  stony  face  of  the 
Keating  Mountain,  with  the  dogs  leaping  up  fran- 
tically, the  monster  feline  hissing  and  growling  sav- 
agely. 

Jake  Hamersley  was  selected  to  give  the  death  shot, 
"taking"  the  brute  between  the  eyes  She  fell  with  a 
thud,  and  with  a  few  convulsive  kicks,  expired  on  the 
snow.  Major  Stewardson  built  a  military  campfire 
while  Hamersley  and  Yailon  carefully  skinned  the 
carcass,  and  fed  the  flesh  to  the  dogs.  The  Nimrods 
offered  the  hide  to  the  young  Major  as  a  trophy,  but 
he  declined  with  thanks.  He  could  not  bear  to  have 
such  a  remembrance  of  a  creature  that  had  disported 
itself  so  recently  on  his  loved  one's  little  four  poster 
bed.  Perhaps  it  had  partaken  of  her  spirit,  from  ab- 
sorbing the  environment  where  she  had  pined  away 
to  death. 


ALLEGHENY  EPISODES 


355 


He  only  wanted  to  visit  her  grave,  above  the  meet- 
ing of  the  waters,  to  drop  there  a  few  tears,  a  part  of 
the  boundless  water  of  life.  His  heart  would  always 
be  a  Haunted  House. 

It  was  verging  on  the  "witching  hour,"  and  ^n  ugly 
winter  drizzle  had  begun  to  fall,  as  the  triumphant 
hunters  ascended  the  soggy  bank,  and  stood  before 
the  portals  of  Castlecloyd,  undecided  as  to  whether 
they  should  bivouac  there  until  morning.  Major 
Stewardson  was  muttering  to  himself  the  concluding 
lines  of  that  Ode  of  Horace, 

"Not  thus  forever  can  I  lie  and  quake, 

Nor  thus  remain, 
l>efore  thy  threshold  for  thy  love's  sweet  sake, 

Soaked  by  the  rain." 


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